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BRIGHTON FESTIVAL REVIEW: m¡longa: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

m¡longa

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

Fri 19 May

Brighton Dome

Deeply rooted in Argentinean culture, tango has fascinated and captivated the world with its sexuality, power and beauty this phenomenal dance event inspired by the late night milonga scene in the intimate bars of Buenos Aires (‘milonga’ is literally a tango dance party) is created by Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui who has added a contemporary twist to this traditional dance and presents a mostly wordless story of the interactions of the dancers and their emotional journeys taking place during an evening’s milonga on the sultry streets of faded Buenos Aires portrayed in dance.

Cherkaoui has made his name through his collaborations with artists like Akram Khan, Maria Pagès and the monks of the Shaolin Temple and he’s nothing if not eclectic, this interesting mix of live music, dance and multimedia projections worked well in the Dome and m¡longa, has seventeen incredible performers – Argentinean tango dancers, contemporary dancers and live musicians – who together explored a seductive exploration of tango for the 21st century.

The on stage band playing composer Szymon Brzóska’s music were superb, supporting, directing and shadowing the emotional tumult on stage and supplying an authentic Argentinian flavour. The bandoneon player evoking nostalgic rhythms and flowing and changing as fast as the dancers were moving.

Full details of the UK part of this world tour can be seen on their website here and if you have the slighted interest in Tango I would strongly recommend you book now.

To say the dancers were superb is an understatement and some of due and trio dances were astonishing; virtuoso performances of agility, technique and pure scalding sensuality, all contained in a stylised and ruthlessly executed Tango.  There were separate stylised dances each shone with a brilliance, a trio of male dancers whirled with a frenzy of erotic passion and interlocking geometrics’ of tango’s vocabulary but expressed in a way  I’d not witnessed on a stage before, some of the male female pairings hardly stopped moving for more than a half second, the whole program gripped from the moment it started and didn’t stop until the last step has been taken.

When it did stop we all breathed out and realised we’d been holding our collective breaths for the duration of the performance. My companion was in rapture and I was rather impressed myself. The audience was thunderous in their appreciation of this inspiring, thrilling production which updates technique, form, and  style and re-formats Tango in an utterly accessible and electrifying way.

I was utterly transfixed by a beautiful night out watching expert heart-stopping exquisite dancers performing some sophisticated uber-stylish choreography.

See full details of this performance here:

The Pain of Prayer – Hove victim speaks out

Craig Hanlon-Smith looks at the worrying past of someone who wants to be the next MP for Hove and Portslade.

Local Hove resident AJ Paterson decided to do some homework in the run up to the General Election on June 8.

“I just wanted to be informed before the vote” she told me, “and so I simply Googled the names of those standing locally”.

As she entered the name of The Conservatives’ Hove and Portslade candidate Kristy Adams, AJ was unprepared for the unsettling and upsetting memories from over 17 years ago that would come instantly and painfully, flooding back to her.

From 1995 until 2000, before moving to Brighton and Hove, AJ lived in Bedford, in accommodation supported by a local Christian foundation the Kings Arms Church.

Kristy Adams the prospective Conservative candidate for Hove and Portslade was active in this church, as a public speaker for them in 2009/2010 and her husband was listed as a director of the organisation until 2013, but their association goes back many years.

I do remember her” AJ tells me: albeit vaguely, this was a long time ago now, but I clearly remember her husband much more.” 

There is a great deal of information online linking this church with healing practices aimed at curing gay people of their sexuality.

I begin by asking AJ what practices were witnessed during the time as a member of the church’s community. The response is as immediate as it is chilling:
“Yes I witnessed it but I experienced it first hand. There was an occasion where two of my close friends in the church came into my room and prayed over me; to heal me from my sexuality. I know that at the time they felt that what they were doing was right but it was an experience I have never forgotten.”

I ask then, that if their intentions were ultimately of a caring nature, they thought it was the right course of action, in short they didn’t know any better. AJ interrupts me:
“No. It never felt ok. This practice never felt right to me. My sexuality is only a part of who I am now as it was then, there’s so much more but their focus was all on the sexual orientation.

There was a clear direction from the church that homosexuality was a sin and that it needed to be prayed for and I am aware that the language used in the press and online is around ‘curing gays’ but the term the church and those within it used was healing. They were trying to heal me of my ‘gay-ness’.”

Praying the gay away?Yes. Absolutely”.

AJ tells me that the practice of healing sexual orientation through prayer was commonplace and a clear direction from the church’s leadership. “What they don’t appreciate though, is that however well-intentioned, this is really damaging and it affects the person on the receiving end long-term”.

What the long-term impact of experiencing the practices of the Kings Arms Church has been on her since?
“Ultimately I think they are kind people, but they just didn’t think about that. The long-term impact upon people…..” AJ stops speaking, is silent then breaks down and becomes quite distressed. I am devastated that something I have said has engendered this response and I apologise. “No, no, really I just want people to know about this, I want to share my story so that people are aware.”

Is this is a story you have shared regularly since moving to Brighton?
For ten years I didn’t tell anyone, not until I first spoke about it in 2010, it was too painful and ultimately this is why I left Bedford.”

Because of the behaviour of people within the church?
“Yes, definitely. I mean they asked me to leave. Because I had ‘come out’ they had a phrase, which was that I was ‘living outside the garden of Eden’ and that this was not compatible with their beliefs so I had to leave.”

What support have you received in Brighton and Hove since moving here?Ultimately I came here because I knew there was an active LGBT+ community and I wanted to be a part of that and since being here I have had counselling to support me through what has happened in the past.”

To help come to terms with the experiences within this church?
Yes. It was a form of spiritual abuse. Abuse because they are putting their views of sexual orientation onto someone in a way that is coercive and controlling. And if you don’t do as they wish, ultimately you experience the toughest form of discipline a church or community can impose upon you. You have to leave.”

So picture the scene. You are removed from a community by the very people you thought were there to support you. You learn to live with the abuse, enter a programme of counselling to guide you through what has happened before and live in a community that is as welcoming as it is progressive. And then some 17 years later, a member of that church stands for election in your local constituency, part of a city known for its LGBT+ communities and support thereof.

How do you feel about the prospect of Kristy Adams formerly of the Kings Arms Church becoming your local MP:
Of course I am concerned. If Kristy Adams were elected, I would find it difficult to be here. People have been asking questions about her background with the church and she is ignoring them and we have so many questions that we need answers to. I know that the church has done some good work with the homeless and refugees, but this election has reignited all that happened to me. A politician’s background is really important in us understanding who they are and what they stand for. Are they going to overturn the freedoms we have fought for?”

It is clear that throughout our conversation these feelings are as raw for AJ today as they ever were and AJ is about to embark on another programme of counselling.

If it is so upsetting, why it is important to talk publicaly about this now?
“I have never felt this way before in this area. The views of the church are the same as they ever were, Kristy Young was part of that church, I have personal experiences of that church. The silence in not wanting to speak of it is not as important as the need for people to know who this person really is, if this individual’s belief in God’s law is more important than the law of the land. She wants to be the MP for Hove & Portslade afterall.”

AJ’s anxiety at the prospect of Kristy Adams as MP for Hove & Portslade is understandable. The Kings Arms Church has connections to a UK wide and international organisation NewFrontiers (previously New Frontiers International) who actively promote homosexuality as a sin that requires healing. NewFrontiers are in–turn connected to a US based think-tank The Heritage Foundation, which bills itself as a research and educational institution whose mission is to build and promote conservative public policies. The Heritage Foundation was heavily involved in advising President Trump’s transition team, and is thought to have influenced the abortion executive order that prevented any federal money going to abortion charities, on his first day in office.

Before we part company AJ and I both agree that this issue is not about party politics. Our current three MPs who stretch across the political spectrum, Simon Kirby, Peter Kyle and Caroline Lucas have all demonstrated that they believe in the freedoms and equalities of the LGBT+ communities in the city. Kristy Adams has until today refused to answer any questions on her views on same-sex relationships or to say if she thought gay sex is a sin.

Given the opportunity, what questions would you pose to Kristy Adams?
“I would ask that as a citizen of Brighton and Hove, I would like to hear her views on same sex relationships. I would then ask, that as prospective politician, would she give me her word that she would back up the local LGBT+ communities in parliament should there be any future policies that would change or challenge the progress we have made, such as a for example any suggestion of the repeal of same sex marriage. We need to know and she needs to tell us.”

Kristy Adams
Kristy Adams

Kristy Adams has responded to Gscene today, saying: “I supported the government as they introduced same sex marriage four years ago and would vote against any attempt to repeal the legislation; I am committed to all forms of equality. I value acceptance of people of all backgrounds, sexes and sexuality. My personal view is that I can’t believe in 2017 that I would need to state the obvious, I have never been homophobic and find it disturbing to hear of people who are. The LGBTQ community in Brighton and Hove champion tolerance and fight injustice and I share their desire to make our community a place of acceptance; I am unambiguous in my support for the LGBTQ community.”

 

BRIGHTON FRINGE REVIEW: The Late Show: The Warren

The Late Show

Studio 2

The Warren

Kicking off at The Warren at 11.45pm this is a slightly soiled laid back bear pit of a show with a cuddly chubby grubby  host Joe Foster, who did as little as he possibly could to keep the atmosphere up and running but then with ten acts on the bill there wasn’t much space for material even if he’d had any.  It was refreshing to see so many women on the bill and the booker needs a pat on the back for ensuring such a decent balance, the line-up was different to advertised ( no Madame Senorita alas…) but after a few pints who cares, bring ’em on!

Zach and Viggo  were frantic , charming and pointless and although they were energetic, literally bouncing around the stage the lack of traction in their material ultimately left me with a shrug I guess the longer they have to build that up into something, the better it would get,  Australian  duo The Siblings  did a daft and (seemingly predictable) pastiche of ‘most haunted’  TV show and I almost turned off but their beguiling and slightly creepy daftness pulled it right back into strong slow burning clowning and uncomfortable humour, fellow Auzzie – Brody Snook was seriously understated, all ruthless crafted jokes and safely polished  delivery, I was very impressed by this short set from this assured performer and her cleverly crafted material left everyone laughing and ever so slightly on edge, a fringe gem!  Woolly: the Morose Merino did as odd an act as his name suggests, Tracey Tracey wandered on and off clowning with bathos & depth which had little of either- perhaps not the best space for such a involved piece of work, Alice Marshall started the night with a long but wonderfully bizarre physical  reworking of a Attenborough Booby Bird nature routine, nothing new, but completely committed and funny, the audience loved it and Phil Jerrod finished with some well-polished local material.

The Late Show profiles a selection of acts from the fringe, some more polished than others and we had a range of quality from the  performances, the charm of these night is partly the slight look of worn-out desperation on the hosts face as the night grinds on and the chop and change of pace as the acts swiftly wind on. Certainly worth a look in and a great place to wind up at the end of a festival night out, it’s engaging, fun and you get plenty of value in a gently rowdy nights entertainment.

Running every Thu, Fri and Sat night until 4th June, book now & go!

For more info or to book tickets see The Warren website here:

 

 

 

 

 

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