LaLaLa Human Steps
Amelia

Dates: 22, 23 & 24 January, 2004
Venue
: Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Reviewer: Ross Michael Pink


 

 

 

 

Music: David Lang Lyrics: Lou Reed
Choreography: Édouard Lock

Édouard Lock
Édouard Lock
Édouard Lock continues to fascinate for his ability to challenge notions of dance with new and innovative styles.

His work, such as Amelia, is clearly not for everyone. In fact, his is the talent which can both enrage and engage the same audience.

Why?

Simply stated, Lock is not constrained by conventional forms of expressing dance.He choreographs movement which has often been described as outside modern dance boundaries.

In Amelia, the dancers are costumed in black. The lighting is white or soft yellow. The stage is not lush, it is stark. And the music is industrial, melancholy and pensive.

The emotional effect of Amelia is rather sombre. Rather than being an uplifting piece, it is reflective and leaves one with a tragic sense of the being and message that is Amelia.

Yet the dance itself is pure, raw, naked. Ths is an exploration of movement without the cloak of sweet music, lush staging and beautiful costumes.

 

 

 

 

 

The eclectic, international flavor of Locks' dance company, La La La Human Steps reflects Lock himself. He was born in Casablanca, Morocco in 1954 and created his first work for Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire at age 21. In 1980 he founded La La La Human Steps in Montreal. His work is international and crosses geographic, emotional, artistic and cultural
boundaries.

Jason Shipley-Holmes
Jason Shipley-Holmes

Locks' breakthrough work, Human Sex, appeared in 1985 and stunned the dance world with its creative audacity. In 1988, he choreographed a piece for music artist David Bowie. In 2001, Lock received the coveted J.A. Chalmers prize.

Even Lock admits that Amelia is a complex piece. It is based on two transvestites that Locke knew in the 1980s. According to Lock, they were theatrical, mysterious and a challenge to his limited social and cultural understanding.

The music for Amelia was composed by David Lang and the talented, energetic dance company is composed of: Andrea Boardman, Mistaya Hemingway, Keir Knight, Chun Hong Li, Bernard Martin, Jason Shipley-Holmes, Zofia Tujaka and Billy.

Once again, Lock, in Amelia, has challenged dance styles and audiences. His work can never be defined and that is perhaps the most enduring quality of his work.

© 2004, Ross Michael Pink

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