Tango seduces in Holy Body Tattoo's Circa
Heather Kendell, The Peak

For Holy Body Tattoo's performance of Circa, the Vancouver East Cultural Centre was transformed into a cross between a high-class brothel and a dance hall. \

Fake crystal chandeliers sparkled above the stage and the performance space was framed by red valour curtains. With their variations on the tango, dancers Dana Gingras and Noam Gagnon explored human sexuality amidst the backdrop of a brothel.

The evening consisted of dance interspersed with short black and white films directed and edited by William Morrison. These films included images of Paris streets, subways, graveyards and cathedral windows.

The Tiger Lillies were responsible for the live accompaniment; their songs have been described as "Surrealist Pornography." Martyn Jacques and his painful falsetto voice, along with The Tiger Lillies, played a central role within Circa.

Tango, the most recognizable and sexually explicit of social dances, was used as a consistent theme and metaphor throughout the 60-minute piece. The tango became more convoluted each time the dancers performed it. Traditionally, it is a dance where a male dancer challenges and controls his female partner.

The dramatic nature of this style of dance is passionate and darkly sensual, and Gingras and Gagnon were successful in capturing its essence. With their bodies pressed tightly together, each met and challenged the other in a dance of sexual advance and resistance. They created an air of escalating sexual tension which pulsated throughout the theatre.

Pawing the stage floor with their hands and feet, their thrusting, jerking forms embodied a release of pent-up sexual frustration. The physicality of the movement, such as the dancers' spiraling jumps to the floor, emphasised the madness of surpressed desire.

Gingras and Gagnon's colourful lifts occasionally interrupted the film. Some of the images, though striking, were questionable as to their relevance to the overall performance. One clip of Christ's crucifixion appeared without warning.

The lively tempo of the music was accompanied by Martyn Jacques, founder of The Tiger Lillies, singing "Banging, banging, banging. I'm banging in the nails." These words were projected onto the screen with a bouncing ball to encourage audience participation. At one point, Gingras and Gagnon stood with their arms outstretched in a stance resembling the crucifixion.

Variations were made on the movement sequence that primarily consisted of them standing in the crucifixion stance, spasmodically pulsing their arms. The choreography was mocking the Christian view of sexuality. However, nothing more was offered to the audience than bodies in spasm while imitating the crucifixion of Christ, and a good laugh. Still, the humour within the music lightened some very intense moments.

While some might object to the explicit sexuality displayed in this performance, Circa was fast-paced and original. The combination of sultry dance, The Tiger Lillies and visual images made for a dynamic evening for the audience.

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