Review: BULLYACHE - A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND, Sadler’s Wells East
Original work
A Good Man is Hard to Find could be the title of a very inoffensive romcom, but in fact it's the latest work from the avant-garde duo BULLYACHE.Coined as a “brutal breakdown of power and the elite” the work is a journey in itself…from crawling slug men to snuff movie style sacrifice. With so much on offer it could feel lost, yet overall the work is definitely a success. And an original one.
Current contemporary dance tends to be a dark affair - in both subject and visual experience - and A Good Man is Hard to Find is no different. The storyline is loose but somewhere close to a finance bro Hunger Games, and Bianca Peruzzi's lighting brings the best and worst out of the action and characters.
The BULLYACHE masterminds are Jacob Samuel and Courtney Deyn. Samuel studied visual anthropology, and Deyn comes from a dance background (Ballroom and Rambert training). They're a good combination as their collaboration delivers both content and a sophisticated canvas.
The environment is a soulless boardroom where power plays take ugly directions. Most if not all the relationships stem from the dominance/submission dialogue, so 99.9% of people can immediately understand the topic and its many manifestations.
I did struggle at the beginning as things are slow and somewhat unrelated, and also too loose towards the end. But when the structural pace is right, and the cast of six are doing their thing I was properly invested.
BULLYACHE aren't afraid of music; be it their own or Shostakovich - and this I appreciate deeply. Their choreography is musical, and heightens the emotive power of the dance aspect. They also have extremely good taste in dancers. The entire cast are brilliant, individual artists who bring presence without overselling to the original movement.
One can recognise Ballroom language in both solos and duos, and the showy dynamic works well in communicating masculine arrogance. Elsewhere dynamics also lead the phrasing - suspension, emotive reaches, meditative swirling, convulsions and gooey arcs - the men devour the stage in travelling unison with subtle structural developments.
BULLYACHE have created a contextual work, but the movement also very much stands on its own - and this should be celebrated. Deyn performs in the work, and his character (a non-binary, submissive cleaner of sorts) also sings. First a rendition of Ave Maria and then closing with a song about removing body parts. An eclectic mix no doubt.
There's definitely a buzz about BULLYACHE. They've been around since 2021, this is their third dance piece, many important residencies have already happened and they were a big hit (Choreographic Commission Award) at last year’s Biennale Danza in Venice. Let's see how and where they ride this wave - but I'll definitely be at the next experience they present.
A Good Man is Hard to Find runs at Sadler’s Wells East until 9 May
Image credit: Andrea Avezzù
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