A gesture that is nothing but a threat

[Oana Tarce]

A gesture that is nothing but a threat, created and performed by two Portuguese artists, Sofia Dias and Vítor Roriz, was awarded Prix Jardin d'Europe in 2011 with good reasons. It is a playful, energetic and resonating piece. The performers sit at a long table in the middle of a simple room. By repeating random words and phrases, they create a wonderful soundscape. Through the subtleties of voice modulation, words and sounds suddenly and repeatedly transform themselves in new words and sounds. After one such cycle, they do a similar thing with their gestures, by remixing random actions which are routinely performed in a house.

This ludic piece shows how repetition in a dance performance doesn’t necessarily imply dullness, stillness, or stuckness. It can also be a truly creative act that breeds life and new form into the scene. Reminiscent of the games one plays in childhood, the performers move beyond the semantic dimension of words, exploring their physical power. Overall, A gesture… is an enjoyable performance that can de-tension us, bringing back that sense of play and spontaneous creativity that we mastered so well when we were kids.