The backspinning b-boy spiders are a revelation. And the larger than life silkworm oozing along the ground, the stage a dimly lit cave, as if we’re witnessing the beginnings of life itself. In this visual feast of a piece, Italian company Dewey Dell embrace the fierce and brooding score of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring – one of the most frequently revisited in dance – in a way that feels both fantastical and resonant.
Stravinsky’s music was originally interpreted by Nijinsky and the Ballets Russes in 1913, based on the idea of the pagan sacrifice of a young maiden to usher in the spring. In this version, when a huge red flower blooms with a long protruding gold stamen, and two beautifully designed leaf insects come prowling up behind it, or as a fearsome mantis-type hunter fills the stage, you might also be reminded: nature is all sex and death. And beauty a useful tool to achieve its ends.
But here, the story of sacrifice plays out more like homo sapiens sacrificing nature for our own ends, as we start probing and plundering and puffing chemicals into the air. The humans become consumed by their own power struggles, overthrowing leaders as they arise: tribalism and revolt in endless cycles. If that sounds heavy handed, it’s not, it’s all hazy and mysterious and wonderfully imaginative.
The people behind Dewey Dell are choreographers Teodora and Agata Castellucci, dramaturg and lighting designer Vito Matera, and the composer Demetrio Castellucci, who has written a haunting opening prelude before the Stravinsky kicks in (three of the group are the children of theatre director Romeo Castellucci). But an enthusiastic nod must be given to Guoda Jaruševičiūtė’s inspired costume design. The billowing fabrics and eye-boggling creatures call to mind the swirling butterfly wings of Loïe Fuller from the turn of the 20th century, or the optical illusion-type dances of Alwin Nikolais or Momix.
At some points what they’re providing is a flickering, glimmering, mutating visual companion to the music, drawn in rhythm, light and texture. Could we see this with a live orchestra? That would be an excellent evolution.
At the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London, until 25 January. MimeLondon runs until 1 February.
