Last night saw the first of our selected London International Festival of Mime events – spent in the Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House in the company of Derevo – a group of mime, dance and theatre artists.
I specifically wanted to see this performance as it seemed to have a seriousness to it that I have not found in other mime performances I have been to yet. It was also possible to meet the performer after which was of course another incentive to go on this night.
The performance itself was thoroughly gripping and if sometimes swinging violently between moments of hilarity and darkness this added to the tension. The music was powerful as a thread which connected the fragments of mime, theatre and dance together and developed alongside the performance cleverly.
The most interesting part of the night for me was the Q&A session. I was intrigued to see Anton Adassinski; the man behind the ideas out of character and hear anything he would share. But it also got me thinking - How much as performers should we give away about our processes and the inspiration/concepts behind what we do?
Adassinski explained that the work grew out of initial improvisation sessions and that he felt that the work was never completely finished; there were always things being adapted right up until the performance. I could relate to this as it is representative of our work too.
However, it was quite clear and understandable that Adassinski was uncomfortable being asked to explain verbally his take on Harlekin, (the central character in the show), as this would have undermined the integrity of the performance. I felt he was right to keep some things under wraps. After all, some things are best left unsaid and the best responses are spontaneous and should be personal to the individual.
Vanessa x
I specifically wanted to see this performance as it seemed to have a seriousness to it that I have not found in other mime performances I have been to yet. It was also possible to meet the performer after which was of course another incentive to go on this night.
The performance itself was thoroughly gripping and if sometimes swinging violently between moments of hilarity and darkness this added to the tension. The music was powerful as a thread which connected the fragments of mime, theatre and dance together and developed alongside the performance cleverly.
The most interesting part of the night for me was the Q&A session. I was intrigued to see Anton Adassinski; the man behind the ideas out of character and hear anything he would share. But it also got me thinking - How much as performers should we give away about our processes and the inspiration/concepts behind what we do?
Adassinski explained that the work grew out of initial improvisation sessions and that he felt that the work was never completely finished; there were always things being adapted right up until the performance. I could relate to this as it is representative of our work too.
However, it was quite clear and understandable that Adassinski was uncomfortable being asked to explain verbally his take on Harlekin, (the central character in the show), as this would have undermined the integrity of the performance. I felt he was right to keep some things under wraps. After all, some things are best left unsaid and the best responses are spontaneous and should be personal to the individual.
Vanessa x
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