Love, theatrically

French choreographer Philippe Decoufle won many fans in Bangkok when he presented his two works “Tricodex” and “Solo: The Doubt Within Me” at La Fete in 2005 and 2006. I missed the latter but the first impressed me sufficiently to plan a recent trip to Shanghai with a stopover in Singapore to watch his 30-year-old Compagnie DCA’s (Decoufle Company of Arts) latest work “Octopus” at its Asian premiere at the Esplanade Theatre.
Before the performance started, the audience was treated to a male dancer sitting on a black chair behind a black table, performing movements that were frequently acrobatic on a stage painted symmetrically black and white. A video of a man’s curious face merged with live shots of the dancer’s was projected on the backdrop. A commendable prologue, it drew loud applause. Then, the two multi-instrumentalists Labyala Nosfell and Pierre Le Bourgeois settled into their areas on both sides of the stage. From the beginning, it was clear that the soundscape was not going to be mere accompaniment but an integral part of the performance. Later in the 80-minute show, the musicians also moved to the centre stage and joined the dancers in some movements that were not too technically demanding, while a few dancers also played some musical instruments.
In the first scene, a woman dancer in a white dress gracefully entered from upstage left while the black curtain behind her was drawn in at the same speed. When she turned 180 degrees, we saw that she was also wearing a man’s suit on the part of her body hidden from us. Her movements changed accordingly and when she came to lie down on the table at the centre stage, her command of the shift was so skilful that the mix was both sensual and hilarious. This set the tone for a series of choreographic creations, filled with visual and aural delights and surprises, and portrayed with emotional conviction and exceptional skills. Dramatically speaking, they portrayed various aspects of romantic relationships and asked the audience to not only recreate those emotions but also to reflect on them.
Decoufle’s works are renowned for their unified blend of circus, pantomime, film and dance. And while all these elements were intact in “Octopus”, and each had their starring moments, the live performance of music and sound entered as a new member of this happy family of contemporary performance.
In the island state, where “The Phantom of the Opera” is soon to return for the fourth time, contemporary dance is always a hard sell. The Esplanade took a risk by bringing in Compagnie DCA for a first visit but “Octopus” was almost sold out. One of my Singaporean friends, trying to book one day before the show, could only find seats in the second circle. On the opening night last Friday, more than half of the audience gave a standing ovation at the curtain call and many queued up to buy the show’s original music CD—I was one of them.
It’s evident why Decoufle repeats in interviews that he loves entertaining his audience. Contemporary performance, for him, is not simply a high-brow and brain-twisting genre of arts.
With “Octopus” as part of their da:ns series outside the annual dance feast in October, the Esplanade proves again that they are not just presenting international shows in festivals. Instead, they are carefully selecting individual acts outside of the festival time frame, thus continuously contributing to the development of the country’s contemporary arts. And in this case, the audience was highly entertained and inspired.

Fringe time
- Esplanade’s 10th annual edition of “Flipside”, with fringe-style dance, theatre and music performances from several countries, both ticketed and free, runs-from May 17 to 26. Check out www.Esplanade.com/Flipside.
- For more on Decoufles work, www.Compagnie-DCA.com.