Alice Elms

One coolly lit white silk, an oppressive soundtrack and two manic sylph siblings: the simplest of ingredients converge here to convey an icy mystical hinterland in this gem of aerial theatre. It’s like the narcissus myth turned askew; the conundrum is whether to fight, play or embrace when the mirroring partner can’t quite be trusted.

The silks become both the protagonists’  playground and battlefield, and are used with lively and inventive panache. Stock aerial moves have their place, but the characterisation that saturates the movement drives the compelling performance.  These sprightly nymphs are cheeky, strong and not quite of this world. If they decide to inelegantly clamber up the widely spread material, they inspire  awe at the gleeful fun they have with scant resources.

They are unhinged, after all.

Interplay during airborne doubles sequences is deft and inhumanly precise, with a shock drop for that thrilling ‘gasp’ moment. And some stock moves achieve an unearthly beauty: for example, when during a neck hang the silks’ tail is artfully placed to the side by the duet partner, who meanwhile adopts a mirrored standing back-bend. These added touches compound the serene elegance of the draped shapes created. See Full Manipulate Blog Article Here