Fringe Toronto 2018--In Threes

Fringe Toronto 2018
July 6-14 2018
Al Green Theatre

Reviewed by Ted Fox

This Half Second Echo presentation of In Threes features the choreographic works of Tracey Norman, Miles Gosse and Alison Daley. All these pieces are wonderfully danced and highly entertaining.

(an) other
Choreographer: Tracey Norman
Performers: Justine Comfort, Denise Solleza

Begins with the two performers seated in chairs, back to back. They are probably in a bar as the soundtrack suggests. Each leaps up now and then, their semaphoric gesturing indicating they are both expecting friends to arrive. "I'm here," one shouts expectantly.

She shifts her chair back which collides with the other. Spontaneously each reacts by reaching back with their arms one over and under the other's. An accidental connection is made.

Frantic movement follows. Towards and around each other. Circling. Assessing. Clasping each other's heads tightly. Butting heads like animals in defence of territory. Pulling each other towards each other then pushing away. Rolling on the floor.

A piano note motif gradually comes up leading to closer and closer contact as each examines the other's hands and face. A connection made. Each takes their chairs which are empty nearby. They sit down. Facing each other.

There is a great deal of warmth and emotion projected in their tentative reaching out and gradual developing a closeness togeher.

Feeling of Knowing 
Choreographer: Miles Gosse
Performers: Justine Comfort, Denise Solleza, Oriah Wiersma

There chairs now on stage. A lone dancer circles closely observing these chairs as she assembles and reassembles them in various scuptural variations. Then carefully balances on them, moving tentatively from one to the other.

Second and third dancers come up and participate as well. Their bodies move in different variations as they circle and move about gradually all coming together in a process of creation.

A subtle connection made. And to the satisfaction of all, have created a work of art. Two leave. However, alone again the one we saw in the beginning begins once again to dismantle and reassemble the chairs.

You Threw Me Off
Choreographer: Alison Daley (in collaboration with the performers)
Performers: Justine Comfort, Miles Gosse, Denise Solleza

Those three chairs again. Three dancers invite us to join in playing games, encouraging us to cheer them on. During this we note that here they are all connected to this task. A friendly repartee between them and us.

And the house lights are up through all three pieces so we are in an abstract sort of way them and they are us.

They playfullly compete with each other. One game is each selecting one card with a word on it-- tonight includes hands, squat and hips which they then employ as a sort of competitive upmanwomanship. A buzzer rings. End of round. A winner declared. We clap and cheer. As we of course sit in chairs. But oddly are connected with them

Works so well because of the relaxed spontaneous interplay between each, and between us and them.