By John Owoo
(In Tunis – Tunisia)
Carthage International Dance Festival 2023
“Vertigo” – a piece performed by Madagascan and Mozambican dancers exposed the anxiety and challenges faced by people with conditions that result in repeated, unexplainable and inconsequential acts.
Performing at the Bernard Turin Theatre, Carolina Manuel (Mozambique) and Judith Olivia Manantenasoa (Madagascar), employed circus, acrobatics and dance movements in the piece that forcefully revealed the helplessness and powerlessness in the face of vertigo.
Clad in red costumes – with a near bare scenography comprising a long rope and a circus loop that swayed precariously on stage – bodies, arms and heads moved in repeated gestures and movements that encompassed the stage from the beginning to the end.
Through abstract and expressive means, the pair rolled from one end of the stage to the other, they climbed ropes and hang on the loop for quite some time as they expressed the feelings, emotions and insecurities characterized by sufferers of vertigo.
They marshalled their knowledge of circus and acrobatics on stage as a series of duets and solos appeared to explore the interconnectedness between personalities that have the circumstance of vertigo and those who are not connected to it.
Indeed, Vertigo is a symptom, rather than a condition in itself and is characterized by the sensation that an individual or the environment is moving or spinning. This feeling may be barely noticeable, or may be so severe that you find it difficult to keep your balance and not be able to manage everyday tasks.
In a related performance, Institut Français Tunis hosted French artist Massimo Fusco, who is also a masseur with a production titled “Sound Bodies Duo” that embraced a choreographic installation, through an immersive audio, visual and sound installations.
With patrons lying on specially arranged cushions with head phones tugged onto their heads, they experienced an immersive sound layer while receiving massages from the two artists during the show.
Pictures – Courtesy of Carthage International Film Festival
