MonixArts’ Survival of the Fittest is a meditation on Darwinism and human nature produced by six very talented female dancers and their promising young choreographer, Monica Nicolaides.
Their first piece, Nu.V.Na, looks at violence in human biology, exploring human reactions when faced with aggression. Combining contemporary dance with stage combat and martial arts, it is a huge success. The beginning of the piece is incredibly strong, with sharp and powerful moves executed in quick succession. This sets the tone for a well-rehearsed and beautifully synchronized performance. Without exception the girls possessed beautiful extensions, considerable technical skill, and were very light on their feet. The choreography was appropriate for the subject matter and the use of motif effectively brought recurring themes to light.
A minor fault in the piece is that in spite of their considerable dance skill the girls often did not seem to fully engage with the subtext of the piece. Although the physical struggle was incredibly well portrayed, the emotional was less clear. Nicolaides’ exceptionally strong and innovative choreography could almost stand alone in its portrayal of humanity’s violent nature, however, at times the dancers’ blank expressions meant we lost meaning. That said, it is definitely worth seeing this fantastic piece.
If we’re looking at Darwinism, Nu.V.Na would certainly win out over Fight or Flight, their second piece, which unfortunately does not maintain the same high standard. Focusing on the impulses of wild animals when facing danger, it aims to make its audience think on their own instinctive reactions to conflict. Dance technique in this piece was proficient, however the choreography did communicate the story effectively. We are made aware of the animal roles in the written programme but the movement itself did not reflect these roles; one would assume that lions would be feline and gazelles would spring lightly around the stage, however, we were instead presented with a set of fairly uninspired contemporary moves. A bright spot in this second piece, though, was Zory Burner’s music, which perfectly conveyed the location, mood and style of the dance.
In spite of its downfalls, Survival of the Fittest is well worth a watch for lovers of contemporary dance.
