Fasttrack Openpodium

Look into the mirror 

Choreographer and dancer: Annebel Kattouw 

Music: Electric Candyman (feat. Thom York) - by Flying Lotus 

Viewed: monday 26 January 2015 Arnhem

Rijn IJssel in Arnhem offers since September 2011 in collaboration with ArtEZ an accelerated two -year program. The two year program is to train young dancers to be ready for auditions or a dance academy. During this program the students will be offered an internship of 8 weeks at the ArtEZ dance department of they're choice. These 8 weeks, depending on the solo they present to the jury, will determine if the students are accepted for the ArtEZ program next year . 

Every year the Fasttrack students are allowed to organize an Openpodium where they can try out they're solo that they would like to present to ArtEZ as their audition.  

This year 5 students showed they're solo at the Openpodium. Because of her inspiring pieces I choose to write a review about the solo of Annebel Kattouw performing 'Look into the mirror'. 

Photo: Juliet Zoeten

The dancer stares down in front of her while the music starts playing. Very gentle she moves her fingers as the music keeps building up and forms into a sort of house music. The dancer starts to use more of her arms and feet as if she is collecting her balance, but still standing on the same place. The movement starts to get more intense and she now starts using her head too, doing some kind of whip movement. By now the music has already taken me as an audience into the atmosphere of her fighting with her inner self.  

Photo: Juliet Zoeten

Just this beginning I find a perfect build up for this piece. Because it starts very peacefully and gradually builds up a certain tension that will take you as an audience along in her journey. This made me a part of this piece itself because, I already was feeling the battle she was is in. 

Her way of moving was so real for me and the way she build up her solo felt very natural. 

When the music reaches a climax, the dancer releases an explosive floorwork phrase using the floor very nicely. Her movements where like fire spreading in a field, very quick and affective. Her way of using the floor was very economic, there was no sound of her bumping into the floor nor did it seem like she had troubles connecting the movements. 

A beautiful performance, a spectacle that I did not expect from a tall dancer. 

I was always told that the combination of tallness and speed is not possible but the performance this dancer gave, proved that theory wrong. 

Photo: Juliet Zoeten

Another thing that was remarkable was that instead of using the whole stage, the dancer choose to stay a lot on the right side and also down stage. 

It was a interesting choice she made but I thought it was a shame to be that close to the front because I was sitting in the back on the left and couldn’t see the entire piece. By not seeing every thing I felt left out. Especially after being taken away in the beginning I thought it was a shame not to be part of everything that was taking place. 

In the future I would advice this dancer to bare in mind that not every angle of the stage is clear for everyone to see. It would be a shame not to let everyone see the work you would like to share. Still I found it a evening well spend and I thank you Annebel Kattouw for this amazing experience. 

Norval Mongen