KIZLAR celebrates women, exploring femininity and masculinity, strength and vulnerability, to create a visually stunning dance work.
Ceyda Tanc Dance creates aesthetically driven contemporary dance influenced by Tanc’s Turkish heritage. Drawing on the virtuoso movements of male Turkish dancers with an all-female company, their unique movement vocabulary combines athletic contemporary movement with traditional Turkish folk dance, conveying striking shapes and a strong, sensual energy. Tanc’s work seeks to challenge traditional gender representation and highlight the intersection of cultures in modern Britain, embedding themes of feminism, ritual and ceremony.
From the outset I was hypnotised by the synchronised movements of the all-female dance troupe. The ingenious use of stage lighting enhanced my experience further by providing eerie shadows of the women, like unseen dancers. The lights also provided focus of the many critical moments throughout.
KIZLAR is a defiant display of feminism with powerful movements, interspersed with tenderness as the dancers embrace each other at times. A pivotal moment is when they gather together and sit on the edge of the stage, leaning upon one another, staring out at the audience – the vulnerability in their expressions was palpable. The female gaze turned on its head. Females supporting females against the world.
I was moved during this performance on more than one occasion and as we stood up to give a standing ovation at the end, a woman sitting next to me made a statement echoing my own thoughts ‘I want to see it again.’
You really must see this show – it is utterly breathtaking.
Venue : Theatre Royal, Brighton
Date : 20th MAY 2023
