By John Owoo
(In Tunis – Tunisia)
“Om(s) de Ménage”, a dramatic fusion of traditional and contemporary dance alongside Hip Hop on Monday delighted a near capacity audience at the 4ème Art Theatre as part of the ongoing Carthage International Dance Festival.
Choreographed by Hamdi Dridi and performed by Ewa Bielak, Maria Mikolajewska, Emmanuel De Almeida alongside Dridi, the quartet exhibited the power of cohesion and a slow crescendo that left the audience in awe as the watched out for the next move.
The Tunisian group effectively blended music and dance with De Almeida playing drums live on stage while music from loud speakers complimented his rhythms – in the process, they created a memorable scene that honoured their sisters, brothers, parents, friends and their ancestors.
As they moved on stage, they employed aspects of tap dance as they marshalled the soles of their feet and their palms and stomped the stage while a refreshing solo by Bielak that also involved the constant shaking of her long hair celebrated the influences of female richness.
The artists pulled a rather fast one on the audience – lights went out they bowed to the crowd amidst applause and cheers – and the performance suddenly continued beginning with a solo and the drummer scrumptiously joining the show alongside the others.
At the El Hamra Theatre, two performers from Lebanon captured the imagination of the audience with a performance that encompassed music, dance and theatre while recollecting history of a family at a time when dancing was seen as a form of fitness.
Titled “Evidence of Things Not Seen” and characterized by a simple set comprising one sofa, laptop, loop machines, woollen carpet and an oud, electro musician Abed Kobeissy and dancer / choreographer Stephanie Kayal, told a story of a family living a dream-like situation while avoiding the realities before them.
Through a “conversation” that was not audible to the spectators and subtle movements together with some form of aerobics from Kayal, the duo kept the audience at the edge of their seats imagining what else will pop up from the stage.
Pictures – Courtesy of Carthage International Dance Festival
