'Shut Down'- Vincent Dance Theatre

‘Shut Down’ by Vincent Dance Theatre… simply phenomenal! I could not wait to start writing the second I got out of that theatre.

The company was founded in 1994 by Artistic Director Charlotte Vincent, who has directed all of their work to date. The productions integrate professional and non-professional performers, and gender politics have been a key theme of exploration throughout the company’s career.

‘Shut Down’ is Vincent Dance Theatre’s first ever all male production, which investigates the concept of being a 21^st century man, and the stereotypes that come with that label. It takes a heart wrenching look at the political and personal, struggling against the conventional gender roles; a man’s urge to fight, his supressed emotion, his power and masculinity.

The performance was beautifully understated, not trying to be anything it wasn’t, and through this emerged a raw quality from the performers you rarely see in theatre anymore. Both the movement and dialogue were performed with such heart and passion, they truly reflected the testimonies and stories that the piece was crafted from, creating a deeply emotional experience as an audience member.

Vincent’s concept for a set was simple, yet inspiring. A white backdrop and floor allowed for the performers to fill the space with charcoal words as the piece developed, with statements emerging such as lonely, dominance, fear and femme. As the dancers leaned against these phrases, we saw them become black with the dirt from the words; a beautiful metaphor for the feeling these words can give a man, making him feel filthy and covered up with labels that are not true.

I particularly liked the way the performance constantly returned to recognisable motifs to centre us back to reality, and transition smoothly into the next situation. In one instance, the men moved in a circle, performing in a ritualistic style that was reminiscent of a tribal dance dedicated to the male stereotype. In this, they boxed, thumped their chest, and demonstrated their masculinity with strong movements to show off their power. This at one point became the centre of transformation for one performer into an exploration of ‘femme’, and in another, morphed into a scene of rugby, and it was lovely to watch how the choreographer really explored the potential of this motif. Another recognisable trait was the line ‘This is a piece about men. What it means to be a man’, which would begin every monologue. This was used as a way to introduce each segment, and was always the same actor, used as almost a narrator figure.

A comedic edge was also a key factor in this performance, reducing the awkwardness of an uncomfortable topic by making light hearted jokes out of it. It also cleverly portrayed yet another side of men in that it is hard for them to express themselves, so instead they resort to either violence or comedy.

All the performers were brilliantly talented, and although at times the movements were not 100% in sync, I enjoyed the fact that this gave the dancers their own traits and made them individuals, reinforcing the idea that men are not carbon copies of each other. The styles had influence from both the hip-hop and contemporary genre, and I very much enjoyed this blend, and the obvious care Vincent had taken to show off the performers individual talents within each style. This hybrid form also included a large amount of spoken word, but what particularly stood out to me, was the passion behind the spoken word/raps of Eben’Flo, who claimed the stage with his presence whenever he opened his mouth. This fervour was infectious, and he performed with the commitment and confidence well beyond his years.

I feel I learned an awful lot watching this performance, and most interestingly was the notion that it was choreographed by a female, giving it perhaps another feminist under layer which I enjoyed considering. The dancers explored a range of aspects; the son, the father, the boy, and the ‘other’ were just the surface, and I walked away feeling truly changed inside. Overall this was one of my favourite performances to date and the team should be very proud of themselves. Well done everyone.