Date: July 17th, 2021
Performances: 7pm, 8pm and 10pm
Aldgate Square
Aldgate High Street
London
EC3N 1AF
Hypnotic twisting and knotting movements and repetitive gestures are performed by dancers in Orbit within the echoes (2021) by Candida Powell-Williams. Set in the green spaces of Aldgate Square, it draws inspiration from labyrinths and the Greek myth of Ariadne, to propose movement as a form of meditation.
Orbit within the echoes is a performance that features 5 dancers in a garden, drawing inspiration from the history and design of labyrinths. The performance explores the association between labyrinths and dancing. Referencing the ways in which movement in these spaces has been written and represented across different cultures, including the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Native Americans, Japanese and English.
The choreography also mirrors the myth of Ariadne’s dance as described in Homer’s Iliad,, taking the form of a ring “like the wheel that the potter spins” (Iliad, XVIII), exploring hypnotic coiling and repetitive motion. At times, dancers condense into one amorphous pulsating being playing with symmetry and group mechanics, and, at others, the dancers explore simple acrobatic movements, twisting and knotting together. Tangling and untangling their bodies in space, they use perpetual motion and kaleidoscopic patterns to explore how movement can be meditative. A sound track composed of synthesised recordings of handmade bells and birdsong accompanies the performances.
For more information, please visit Whitechapel gallery’s website here.
