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| Kyrra, Fiasco, Treaxy, Crazy, Cerizz, Big Jay |
The
audience at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) got an
electrifying experience with Elektro Kif, by renowned choreographer Bianca Li. The
show featured eight young male dancers displaying urban street moves coupled
with a killer electronic music soundtrack and then some. The dancers Khaled
Abdulahi aka Cerizz, Jeremy Alberge aka Jerem, Arnaud Bacharach aka Nino, Roger
Bepet aka Big Jay, William Falla aka Treaxy, Slate Hemedi aka Crazy, Alou
Sibide aka Kyrra and Adrien Sissoko aka Fiasco portrayed the roles of college
students as they go through a typical day studying, playing, bickering and
fighting with each other. And this they told through a kind of dance called Electro that
incorporated street, hiphop, vogue, pop and lock, and even some lyrical as
well.
Compared
to the very cerebral performance of Cartografia Disabitata that happened a week
before, Elektro Kif is a change of pace as this one had a very accessible
storyline and most important of all, danceable music composed by Tao Gutierrez.
What made Elektro Kif very entertaining was that it incorporated dance with the
usual college student life filled boring lectures, nerve wracking examinations
and lunchtime at the cafeteria, all flavored with a healthy dose of mischief. The dance also gave playful activities like a game of basketball and computer games a
new sense of fun. The most impressive for me however was the number that came right
after the spat during the basketball game. Accompanied by music entitled Chopin
Deconstructed which did sound like one of his nocturnes, two dancers who
figured in the quarrel had the spotlight on them. The pair moved their arms
with such fluidity and lyricism and showed some sensitivity that made the
eventual reconciliation between the two more poignant. It was Electro fused with lyrical dancing and it was sublime. This duet was clearly
the highlight of the evening for me and probably for a lot of people in the audience as well.
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| RAd and Jerem |
I’ve
had a very busy day and was also sleep deprived when I arrived to watch the
show. But when I came out of the theater, the thumping bass beats were ringing
in my head and I also had the urge to move my arms like the dancers did in the
show. Due to prior commitments, I wasn’t able to participate in the scheduled
interaction with the dancers that happened the day before. Fortunately, I was
able to have a brief chat with some of them right after the show. Two of the
dancers, Nino and Jerem told me that I really had to train hard if ever I want
to be good at it since I asked them about how they were able to do some of
their Electro moves. I remember something that Nino did near
the end of the show when he dropped into a very low sit position while his free leg was extended
in front of him. And then he wiggled the foot of his free leg a bit before
rising up into a standing position.
Jerem and Nino stressed that I must have strong abs and core in order to
execute that move and make it look easy. Just like in playing the piano, one
has to work hard, practice and train to make the difficult things look so easy.
The Elektro
Kif performance which is a part of the International Dance Festival Manila: Focus
on European Contemporary Dance was organized by the Embassy of France,
the Alliance Française de Manille and Rustan’s in partnership
with the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
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