Do you dare to Blush?
The highly touted UK premier of Blush, a physical dance theatre performance by Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus, took place at the Warwick Arts Centre yesterday evening.
It opened with a woman having simulated sex with a snoring man, then launched into a disturbingly energetic yet engaging collage of images highlighting different emotional states of the human psyche: love, rage, lust, humour, frustration, indifference.
This was executed through a fusion of dance, theatre, comedy and technology and complemented with a rock soundtrack in sync with every movement on the stage and audience interaction.
The performers displayed amazing athleticism and balance, releasing their body in wild abandon as they leapt and flew effortlessly across the stage.
A highlight of the show was the breathtaking illusion, created through the use of film technology, of dancers diving from the stage into a screen only to reappear as if swimming underwater.
The performance does not follow a set storyline, which may give the impression of being disjointed, but like an abstract work of art, Blush is open to different interpretations.
Definitely not for the faint of heart, Blush is explosively intense, highly physical and guaranteed to manipulate your mind.
Tickets for tonight's performance are available online from the Arts Centre website - http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/?page=wac_event_details.html&event_id=1318