Review: X (DIX) at Streetcar Crowsnest

In an arresting moment from X (DIX) by Côté Danse, choreographer Guillaume Côté arranges his five dancers in a tableau reminiscent of the three Fates perched over a prostrate Odysseus. They stretch their arms open as if measuring the span of the string that determines the length of Odysseus’ life, while the dancer on the ground (a dazzling Natasha Poon Woo) simply appears exhausted from the journey. “Go live another life,” croons the soundtrack by experimental band Son Lux. Yet, the imagery of fate suggests that it’s not a choice; while the desire to return home exists, only time will tell if it will be so.

X (DIX), the final show of Crow’s Theatre’s current season, combines inspiration from ballet and contemporary dance and, according to the creators, “explores the notion of the ‘inner compass’ and the idea that ‘home’ may be a state of mind.” The show’s name refers to the round number that signifies the transformational events of a life cycle. The narrative-less, free-flowing hour was inspired by the myth of Odysseus and the pursuit of home.

Created during the height of COVID in September 2020, when home became both refuge and detention cell, it features many sequences where the dancers (Natasha Poon Woo, Martha Hart, Willem Sadler, Kelly Shaw, and Evan Webb) make sharply coordinated movements while separated from each other. It starts and ends, however, with moments of connection, one dancer pushing and pulling another possessively, drawing her closer and pushing her away more frenetically before cradling her body on the floor.

Solo pieces are interspersed with pair and full group sections, interactions sometimes feeling like an affirmation of community, sometimes feeling dangerous. One dancer almost seems to breathe in another’s life force; another gives us a cheeky wink. Formations seem like slow-dancing trees one moment, and the parts of a clock the next. It doesn’t feel linear in the slightest, but the technical, acrobatic skill of the dancers is hypnotic and absorbing.

Design aspects are sparse here, allowing you to concentrate on the dance. The black, bare stage is highlighted with occasional spotlights (lighting designer Simon Rossiter) that enlarge and contract, changing a pinpoint of focus into a wider aperture. A performer may remain in the middle of the pool of light, or run around its expanding or contracting edges as if mapping out the space. At one point, a bank of red lights flames from the back of the stage, giving a fiery bent to the lyrical affirmation that “We are the ones this time.”

Mostly, the music is there to give shape and rhythm to each scene, with lyrics that hint at thematic affirmation. In one piece, we hear “I am already calm/Not trying to escape anymore,” after a heartbeat-like rhythm that feels like an attack; later, “don’t forget yourself” plays as all the dancers take the stage for the first time. One dancer balances another with a hand on the back of the neck, segueing into the lyrics “This could be the last time” and a hint of air raid siren. I was content to let it all wash over me.

X (DIX) could be a life flashing before one’s eyes in that fateful moment between collapse and either death or renewal, or it could be the culmination of a long journey. Fans of contemporary dance will find much to enjoy.

Photo of X (DIX) (former cast) by Sasha Onyshchenko

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