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Hands down, Kiss & Cry is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen (and NIGHTLIFE.CA’s #1 show of 2012), but I’m not sure I want to see it again – because it was so magical the first time, I left in a delicious haze. The artfully crafted, multidisciplinary work about love, loss and memory returns after being the hit of the Temps d’Images festival.
The captivating piece uses seven cameras to film a duet of hands meandering through miniature sets and transporting us to a desert, a flooding bathroom, and a train station. Imagine being able to watch both a film and its behind-the-scenes process simultaneously – brilliant. Developed by the Belgian duo of choreographer-dancer Michèle Anne De Mey and filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael (Toto le héros, Le huitième jour and Mr. Nobody), Kiss & Cry has been touring since its creation in 2010, with Montreal being its only North American stop.
Kiss & Cry tells the story of a woman’s 13-second-long flash of first love. On a crowded train, the brakes slam, and their hands touch fleetingly. Unable to recall his face, she treasures and revisits the intense tactile memory of this stranger’s skin, and the warmth of his hands through a masterful mix of movement, film, words and images.
Film & Dance Go Hand in Hand
“In a workshop, we started playing with our hands, fingers, and material on a table. Then with the camera, we just started experimenting,” recounts De May on the line from Belgium. After weeks of toying around with trains, dollhouses, aquariums, flashlights, liquid, sand, and dead leaves, the artist collective created different tableaux. Afterwards, they conjured up a love story that would weave these numerous elements together, and set it to a mix of music by Arvo Pärt, John Cage, Gershwin and Handel, among others.
By shifting one’s gaze from the screen down to the stage, the spectator can easily toggle between the film and the on-stage bustling. With seven people weaving in, around and under each other, stepping over camera rails and manipulating props, observing the crew maneuvering through the limited floor space is like watching a choreography in and of itself.
“There is a whole ballet between the camera man and the manipulators, all the traffic on stage, compared to what is going on around the miniature sets, and with what is going on in the film,” remarks De Mey. “There are many layers. It’s like Russian dolls.”
Although I’ve attempted to describe the show, it’s really indescribable. You’ll have to experience it for yourself. Hmmm, maybe I do need to see it again…
Kiss & Cry / NanoDanses – Michèle Anne De Mey & Jaco Van Dormael (extrait – FR) from Charleroi Danses on Vimeo.
Kiss & Cry
From April 23 to 28
Usine C | 1345 Lalonde Avenue | usine-c.com
