OUTSIDE AND BESIDE HERSELF

Well-presented dance piece on NAF Fringe programme. (Review by Sifiso Sikhakhane)

Outside and Beside Herself was a well presented dance piece on the National Arts Festival fringe programme, which worked hand in hand with its beautiful set and choreography.

Choreographer Zoe Reeve chose a panopticon as her setting, the reason being that her piece deals with the surveillance of women in society. She also used the life story of the famous writer, Virginia Woolf, as her inspiration, to tell the story of female suicide, using the concept of drowning. “The use of stones in the piece was based on Virginia Woolf’s suicide,” said Zoe, “since she placed a rock in her pocket and used it to give her the weight of sinking in the water.”

I was truly impressed with how Reeve used her spacing. Every room in the panopticon was used, which allowed the audience to travel around and be fully engaged with what was taking place in the piece. The mirrors which were placed around the setting were a self reflexive tool for both the audience and the performers.

Reeve wanted music which was going to evoke emotions which is why she chose to use Greek music, Theodarakis. Her choice was also based on the time when Virginia Woolf went crazy and began to think that the birds were singing in Greek.

This dance piece was a job very well done. Outside and Beside Herself was presented at the National Arts Festival by Watermelon Sugar Productions. – Sifiso Sikhakhane