Michael Clark Company-Mmm。

A naughty, funny and clever choreographer ON STAGE.


Had a very enjoyable evening with Michael Clark at Barbican Centre.


For me it was not a masterpiece kind of dance, but it was very amusing by all the languages which appeared on stage. From dancers, movements, stage, lightening, costume, music to projection. I could imagine how amazing when this piece first showed in 1992. The important thing is I could feel that he enjoys having fun within his works and himself. And also he got many artists and designers involved and collaborated within his company, tried to give the dance pieces more energy and fresh air.

One of my friends who is a dancer now doing internship in a dance company based in London went with me tonight (and Magda as well), as her “professional” opinion, she didn’t like it. The reason is she thinks that Michael Clark didn’t “choreograph” at all. Those movements just like body excises and basic technique training compositions appeared on stage. But I think that’s the one of the most interesting parts, which is he did not create any new composition but using basic movements (for people who’s not dancers, like me for instance, those “movements” are not as basic as daily actions we have) as one of the languages on stage. Therefore his work had a complete and strong ideal in overall but not only focused on “dance”.

The costumes contained loads of fashion elements indeed, and they are all surprisingly working in his pieces. The shapes, styles fitted what the dance intended to express. The colours were all going with the lightening and stage perfectly. Even in the repertory, which all the dancers were naked with a shape of hand warmer from early 20th century around their hand and “down there” was amazing. How successful on costume design you would ask, and the answer is: Very, even my dancer friend who doesn’t like the performance likes the costume a lot!