Dance without frontiers, Mary Brennan, The Herald 2005.08.27
Take three men. Let them loose on a bare stage with no music, no soundscore and no intentions on the part of the choreographer, beyond having them move around in ordinary ways. It’s the kind of approach that was all the rage back in the 1960s when pedestrian movement was a watchword among dance-makers in New York.
I doubt however if many of the resulting pieces were as funny as Martine Pisani’s sans – partly because the French choreographer has the kind of “what if ?” curiosity that leaves no step unturned… or tripped up, even; and partly because her trio of goofy guys have a spirit of playfulness that disguises technical virtuosity and precision timing as accidents of a clowning, co-incidental kind. Whether it’s a dumb show of fleeting facial expressions or a human ball of tangled-up limbs, playground chases or competitive sports, the lads contrive to make it seem wacky. Until Olivier’s enigmatic speech… when you remember Pisani is French and the possibility of the jokes having a philosophical question-mark as an unspoken punch-line does creep in.
Before such contemplation raises a frown, however, there’s a hectic action replay that leaves us laughing once more.