Love is a complex thing isn’t it?
We’ve all experienced it in its myriad of forms and its uncertain, hurtful, and of course, joyful moments. In a provocative and quite brilliant piece of dance theatre called Love/Love/Love/Love/Love, Tessa Redman shares her own journey through the complexities of this most enigmatic of human emotions.
As we enter the theatre, Redman is gently dancing to a range of pop songs and casually greets everyone as we find our seats. She is young, with an athletic body, long curly hair, and dressed in black track pants with red piping, and a white vest over the top of a black bra. A sliver of midriff is showing. Behind her is a ‘wall’ of silver reflective material which makes the space seem so much bigger than it actually is and means the audience is looking at itself. We could almost be in an aerobics studio with Redman about to give us the workout of our lives.
The actual performance is a series of vignettes about different aspects of love she has experienced. They cover the gamut of love for men she is attracted to, a specific moment of infatuation, love for her body, her ‘erotic’ self, and the love she feels for her brother and later, her mother.
Redman is a very talented dancer and the movements she creates when coupled with facial expressions and occasional dialogue make this a fascinating and exciting show. There are moments that are very sexualised, and in one particular scene she is fully naked in front of the audience.
But this is an artistic eroticism rather than a hyper sexualised one. Redman’s charm, honesty, courage, and humour ensure that despite an earlier trigger warning, when she does disrobe, it feels safely intimate and completely normal and healthy.
This work is an exploration of sexuality and the range of emotions one can experience navigating through human relationships. At times, Redman shows the uncertain and confusing aspects of love and connection, while in other moments she is coquettish and flirty. She displays vulnerability as well as joy and playfulness. And of course, sprinklings of delightful humour that remind us that love and sex can be fun and sometimes silly.
Love/Love/Love/LoveLove is a beautifully performed piece of dance theatre that is a charming, exuberant and uninhibited exploration of the human condition.
LOVE/LOVE/LOVE/LOVE/LOVE
7-11 November 2023
Basement Theatre
