Ito the dancer portrays Ito an android, learning human movement for the first time. It’s not as edgy or dark as it sounds, despite the litter of body parts. Cleverly staged, at turns vulnerable and playful, Ito wrote, directed and choreographed the production, imbuing the whole with a sense of wry contemplation and awareness. Closely influenced by modern concepts of tanztheatre, the performance is both whimsical and profound.
Her choreography creates an illusion of spontaneity. Ito is the android, reacting to the world anew. Her physicality emerges, simultaneously strong and weak, always compelling to watch. When Ito finally dances freely, exploring all the possibilities of movement, it is a gorgeously realized moment of dance theatre.
Her movements too subvert expectations, despite the occasional frenzied, staccato jerking you expect from an android. Partly it's Ito’s witty soundtracking; after the piano, most of her actions are accompanied by an automated voice, reading her own diary entries scattered roughly across approximately a year in her life, from 2016 near the birth of her son. There’s other musical interludes, like a lively techno tune or a ballad, humorously celebrating solitude. Yet nothing feels scripted or planned.
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