Infinite and Expansive

Ondule

by Rouet and Martinez

Resolution at The Place, Euston, 12th February,
The Festival of New Choreography continues until 23rd February

A reflection by Abigail Joanne

Ondule by Laura Rouzet and Alejandro Martinez is a performance showcased as part of Resolution 2019 at The Place. Part of a Resolution triple bill in-between Hazel Lam’s Lighthouse and Mara Viva’s time/less, Ondule entices the audience into its mysterious dimension. Informed by contemporary, popping, voguing, and dancehall, Ondule is a ‘point of intersection where otherness emerges’.

Ondule, from the French, means ‘undulate, swirl, swing, sway’:  the dancers have captured this beautifully and invite the audience to relax into their organic display.

Choreographed and performed by Rouzet and Martinez, with music produced by Monica Mia in collaboration with Rouzet, Ondule is a duet which explores genderless movement.

In the beginning we see two figures joined in motion, foreheads touching to create a loving and intimate composition. Sparkles dance from nude tones and masks with edgings, twinkling to the curling movements, the figures are like cells under a microscope, merging, then moving away. I am reminded of the power of ten; the miniscule and the massive are as one, infinite and expansive.

We see each dancer become more independent while the other gently continues undulating in the background, behind a shimmer of silver curtain strips. The physical expressions become stronger and wider. The music picks up and an irresistible beat takes you into the night where the covert becomes liberated.

I wonder what ‘otherness’ they describe in their bio is? Is it something different, separate, and unknown? Or is it, in fact the very core essence of us all? The inevitable evolution of nature?

It is possible to expand beyond our preconceptions of gender, and to challenge our own identifications within ourselves and towards others. We can connect and move into this space to find celebration in our sovereignty and togetherness in our independence.
I really hope Rouzet and Martinez continue to collaborate; I would be interested to see their ideas develop further.

Abigail Joanne
February 2019

Read more at The Place’s Resolution Review

Photography by Laura Rouet