New Art Club, This is Modern

Review in Issue 20-2 | Summer 2008

New Art Club perform dance analysis and criticism. The first part of the performance introduces the audience to the vocabulary of dance by varying a short series of movements through repetition, unison, pauses and the use of space. Watching the performers reveal the minimal units that make up complex series of movements can be fascinating for those who normally witness only complete dance performances, similar to the wonder the scientifically less trained can feel when seeing tiny organisms under a microscope. My ambition to recognise and take pleasure in finding these elements in the following dance piece (based entirely on the movement material presented before) was certainly great – at least at the beginning of the piece. Yet after becoming familiar with its element, I began to tire with the length of the piece which seemed drawn out a little too much. The concept of This is Modern is original and interesting, a generous portion of self-irony makes it witty and entertaining, but the timing does not always work, and many of the examples and jokes would benefit from a snappier pace.

Presenting Artists
Presenting Festival
Presenting Venue
Date Seen
  1. Apr 2008

This article in the magazine

Issue 20-2
p. 33