‘Perhaps ShortCut is a visit to someone’s inner self.’
Audiences read these words in the programme for ShortCut, a new production for Companhia de Dança de Almada created by Lisbon-based choreographer Inês Pedruco, inspired by the book Short Movies by Gonçalo M. Tavares, a short story compilation on the beauty and absurdity of daily life.
Seven performers gradually fill the stage with a quirky Chaplinesque atmosphere, miming to the jazzy voices of Nina Simone, Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday. Old-fashioned floral wallpaper matches the pinkish outfits, and precise gestures lead the scene towards a meeting point by a bar table. Is ShortCut a visit to someone, or a time-travel into the twisted paths of memory?
Dance comes slightly later: controlled legwork, extended torsos and rooted pliés indicative of Pedruco’s classical background. A little glimpse of breakdance juices up the choreography, although it’s gone too soon, bringing ShortCut back to its movie-like scenes, graceful floor transitions and gentle lifts.
Suddenly, the set transmutes into an empty, timeless space, cooled by blue lights. One couple remains after the frantic old friends’ reunion, performing an artful duet recycling most of the previous vocabulary. The hypnotic state of repetition is (opportunely) interrupted by some wavy turns of bodies flowing collectively, eyes covered by swimming goggles. How many life stories float in this ocean?
As the piece comes to an end, a sense of depth starts to emerge. A female performer outlines the stage in slow walks, while a male duet grabs the attention: they look each other in the eyes and draw a hug shape, but the touch is not immediate. Religious music echoes the feelings of grief, confession and faith, until a blackout hides the duo. This is the last chapter of a story that holds many stories, layered with time traversing the ups and downs of personal and interpersonal relationships. A puzzling, filmic choreography that resonates with Tavares’s words: ‘Don’t think, see. And see, don’t think. But see what’s shown and all the rest.’
