MIX:Deborah Colker at the Barbican

Alan Miller

It is always a bit of a risk when one ventures to visit the theatre - or any venue for that matter - to see dance.

Especially since dance, unlike other visual arts, is considered an acquired skill by so many. A considerable number of people (young people at least) consider themselves fairly fluent in the vernacular of movement. This is admittedly usually after a combination of numerous chemicals, but the point still stands. So when I went with a friend who is a bit of a bod in the music business, to see MIX, I was somewhat apprehensive.

Actually, one does not 'see' MIX as such. It starts off perhaps as a preview, with the audience voyeuristically watching them watching us watching them. Very quickly, however, it becomes more akin to witnessing a series of insights, that lead to a new understanding of how everything moves. Quite suddenly one has become entwined in the motive dialogue and is at turns amused, saddened, confused and encouraged. This is much more than a dance, yet by obsessive attention to detail and incredible imagination, it is the dance that transports us all on the voyage that Deborah Colker has mapped out.

The performance is broken down in to seven key movements, each of which addresses a very specific theme. We are met with 'Machines' where the analogous and distinct aspects of machinery and human movements are examined. By the time we are on to the 'Fashion Show', it is clear that Colker draws on everything from advertising to film, from photography to general observation, to pepper her choreography with all manner of witty nuances and subtle and hard-hitting contrivances. While we know that this is a tongue-in-cheek view of the world of fashion, the execution is impeccable. The ensemble troupe commands awe through their dexterity of movement and continual stretching to excel.

'Passion' is so funny that its message is all the more shocking, while 'Mechanics' is a cross between a West End musical and Terry Gilliam's film Brazil. The music (directed by Alexandre Kassin) is an amalgamation of material from the past thirty years, from Barry White to Grover Washinton Jnr, Latin American to African. At times MIX is a little choppy, even reminiscent of a bad DJ at a reunion. Clearly Colker's native Brazil has been very influential, as has her status as an immigrant (her ancestry is Russian-Jewish).

The finale is unbelievable. A rock-climbing wall becomes the backdrop and dance floor. The dancers leap from one hold to the next, defying gravity with fly-like dangling and postures. The very conception of this is insane, its execution unprecedented. '99 per cent perspiration, 1 per cent innovation' was Thomas Edison's advice. In an age where many wish for quick and easy recognition, Colker demonstrates that if one wishes to produce remarkable art, discipline, rigorous endeavour and an obsession with perfection to mastery are all prerequisites.

We can all tell the difference between the mediocre and the best. If De La Guarda was the big news of 1999, MIX should be the equivalent for 2000. Get your dancing shoes on. Viva!