The Empty Chair: A Review of Ne Sans Opera & Dance's Virtual Dance Performance "Hourglass" by Roya Pishvaei

 

            The empty chair — a simple image that never fails to provoke thought. The commonly used artistic prop, often associated with absence, death, and melancholy (Lauzon), was thoroughly explored in the piece “Hourglass”, presented by Ne Sans Opera & Dance. The Vancouver-based company is known for intertwining the worlds of Opera and Contemporary Dance to create theatrical multi-disciplinary works. (About) Their latest work, “Hourglass,” directed by Idan Cohen, was live-streamed from March 4th-6th, 2021 as a part of the Vancouver International Dance Festival. The piece showcased a trio of performers creating meaningful connections to a singular fold-up chair. Performer Leslie Dala doubled as a pianist and theatrical mover, and Racheal Prince and Brandon Lee Alley were highlighted as the principal dancers. Dala’s live accompaniment of Philip Glass’s Solo Piano Etudes, No.3, 6, 8, 16., and Theo Bell’s cinematography worked hand-in-hand to create a melodramatic viewing experience. The chair, which acted as a symbol for death, was the foundation of the piece. As the performers moved in relation to the chair, they exhibited the unpredictability of one’s life including the choices and relationships that people make during their life spans. “Hourglass” illustrated the unpredictable cycle of life and death and Cohen clearly displayed this theme through his setting, choreographic tools, stylistic choices, and of course, the chair. 

The opening of “Hourglass” introduced an ominous setting and curious chair-choreography that immediately exhibited the piece’s cyclical theme of life and death. Audience members were presented with a shot of a lone fold-up chair centred in a rectangular spotlight on a dark empty stage. The silent stage, unoccupied by bodies, drew attention to this inanimate object. It seemed as if death (the chair) was bathing in life’s light, establishing an opening image of simplicity and balance. However, this image quickly faded to black, and in the following scene Dala was introduced into the piece, much like a child is introduced into the world. He sat upon the chair in a Victorian-inspired costume with ghostly white face paint, curiously staring into the dark abyss beyond the stage and screen. He then began to inquisitively circle around the chair, guiding his movement with his hands. He twirled his fingers, brushed them against his body, and shook them in a spastic manner. His unpredictable hand gestures reflected the unpredictability of life and death. As he moved, his expression rapidly changed from curious, to worried, to sad, showcasing a temperamental response to death. The introductory section ended with stillness, as Dala stood behind the chair solemnly staring into dark nothingness once again. The crisp spotlight accentuated the importance of the chair and Dala’s relationship to it. The chair foreshadowed unavoidable death which Dala deeply pondered and explored. When he eventually shifted his gaze beyond the rectangular spotlight and into the shadows of the space, he showed the audience that the cycle of life and death remained a mystery to both him and us.

Bell, Theo and Flick Harrison. Hourglass, 2020, Ne Sans Opera & Dance, Vancouver. Ne Sans Opera, https://www.nesans.net/events?pgid=kixvvsm2-6b0bcb1a-5b4f-49a7-bc65-d251561b939d. Accessed Mar 15 2021.

            As the piece progressed, Cohen successfully implemented a range of choreographic tools that continued to solidify the sense of unpredictability that surrounds the cycle of life and death. For instance, the principal duet made their first appearance into the piece by moving independently but shared a movement quality that mimicked the mechanics of the chair. With their vintage Victorian-style costumes and clownish makeup, they individually bounced and folded like puppets on opposite corners of the stage. Prince soon began to weave her body around the chair, while Alley maintained his mechanical movements. Like newborns trying to understand the world around them, the pair explored the mechanics and shape of the chair with great intention. This in itself was unpredictable. It was unclear to the audience whether or not the duet would dance as a unit and what emotions would evolve surrounding the chair (death).

            The pair eventually began to move synchronously and Cohen’s choreography incorporated the chair in peculiar ways. The chair (death) did not hold them back, but instead became something that was mutually familiar. They began to respond to the chair with theatrical expressions such as confusion, dazzlement, curiosity, and pain. They moved through the chair, lifted it, ran to and from it, and swung it around, which demonstrated a relationship to death that was both playful and reckless. Cohen’s choreography, although highly technical and balletic, involved the chair in a very melodramatic way; Between difficult balances and explosive lifts, the chair was used as an extension of their bodies and its importance was extremely exaggerated. Additionally, Dala, who had now taken the role of the accompanist, faded the music in and out, creating highs and lows which mirrored the peaks and downfalls that one encounters during life. These elements combined gave the piece an erratic nature which emphasized how the cycle of life and death is unpredictable; Although there is a start and end to life, what happens in between remains a mystery. Ne Sans Opera & Dance, being well-known for their theatrical approach to contemporary dance, effectively expressed the cluster of emotions that surround the piece’s theme.

The most powerful, and perhaps the most overlooked choreographic tool Cohen implemented was the dancer’s gaze. In Antonia Hamilton’s article “Gazing at Me: the Importance of Social Meaning in Understanding Direct-Gaze Cues”, she explains that “the meaning of direct gaze depends heavily on the surrounding context.” (1) In the case of “Hourglass,” Cohen’s choreography of the gaze optimized the stage setting and greatly supported the message of his piece. The dark abyss encircling the performers emphasized the feelings of uncertainty surrounding death. Moreover, the ability to do close-up shots on the dancer’s eyes made the direction and intention behind their gaze more coherent to the audience. According to Hamilton, filmmakers are aware of the context-dependant social function that gaze has, meaning that they often utilize direct gaze in obscure settings “to signal threat.” (2) Since each performer was captured looking at the unknown dark space, a mysterious and alarming atmosphere mounted which reflected the piece’s theme. The cameras altered the way the audience viewed a “stage-performance” and worked cohesively with the setting and Cohen’s choreographic choices. It was evident that Cohen’s artistic choices were well planned, as he skillfully supported his theme through every aspect of his piece.

Cohen’s stylistic choices emphasized cycles in various ways. For starters, the title of the work, “Hourglass”, paints a picture of the object itself; a tool that can be flipped over and over to commence a cycle of time. Additionally, his use of Victorian-inspired costumes and pasty makeup showcased a period of time that has long since passed. The fashion of that period had a start and end, which implicitly displayed the concept of birth and mortality. Cohen even choreographed the finale to have all three dancers lay before the chair with their arms crossed on their chests. Each dancer took a turn laying in the rectangular spotlight, closing their eyes, and accepting the tragic fate of death. After each performer paused on the floor to take the form of a corpse, Dala closed the chair and laid it in the rectangle of light. This brought the piece full circle. The chair that opened the piece was put to rest, and the rectangular spotlight revealed itself as a coffin. The cycle of life and the cycle of the piece was brought to an end with the image of the empty chair resting in peace.

Bell, Theo and Flick Harrison. Hourglass, 2020, Ne Sans Opera & Dance, Vancouver. Ne Sans Opera, www.nesans.net/events?pgid=kixvvsm2-7178ee52-c5af-4c31-98a0-0f2bf092fe2e. Accessed Mar 15 2021.

           “Hourglass” was an impressive piece that took ordinary concepts and made them extraordinary. The fusion of Opera and Contemporary Dance, as well as Dala’s dramatic accompaniment allowed for the piece to fluctuate, leaving audience members on their toes. Cohen’s use of unforeseeable movements and dynamic manipulations of the chair methodically supported the theme. His attention to detail is what made this piece a success. Although many people may view cycles as continuous and unchanging, Ne Sans Opera & Dance demonstrated how the cycle of life and death is ever-changing and unpredictable. The opening and concluding images made a strong impression and compelled audiences to ponder the significance of the empty chair.

                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                        Works Cited

“About.” Ne.Sans Opera, www.nesans.net/about. Accessed 7 Mar 2021.

Hamilton, Antonia F de C. “Gazing at Me: the Importance of Social Meaning in Understanding                           Direct-Gaze Cues.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B,                           Biological Sciences, The Royal Society, 19 Jan. 2016, dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0080.                          Accessed 15 April 2021.

“Hourglass”. By Ne Sans Opera & Dance, directed by Idan Cohen. 4-6 March 2021, Vancouver                                 International Dance Festival, Vancouver, BC. Live-streamed performance.

Lauzon, Claudette. Critical Writing in the Arts, Simon Fraser University. Vancouver. Spring 2021.                             Lecture.