by LEITA BOUCICAUT

Thursday, August 4, 2011

The Fine Art of Improvisation

B-boy Greg ‘Krypto’ Selinger presented the unique improvisational theatre performance, Body Slam, last week at the Montreal Fringe Festival.

Inspired by contemporary dance pioneers, 27-year-old Selinger explores interactions between dancers and the spoken word.

“I've been working with having things that I want to communicate and stage performance is a great place to work towards getting it out, through movement and verbal language,” he said.  “I wanted to share this opportunity with other dancers.”

As the audience walked into the small, dark, starkly decorated room, dancers were already on stage writhing and twisting like worms in the earth. With no marked beginning to the show, the eclectic audience was forced to let go of convention and enter a world where breakdancers, poets, musicians and contemporary dancers interacted directly with them.

Selinger had started with more structured performances, but decided to forgo that in the last two shows. “I really felt like the structure that we were trying to tack on to the show added some unnecessary stress and prevented us from getting to see what was going on with everybody else,” he said. “I felt like there was an artificial separation between the pieces.”

Some pieces worked better than others. Musical accompaniment included a saxophone, a melodica and an electric guitar, all of which would join in as dancers and poets changed their rhythm. A more complete ‘band’ would have provided a better platform for improvisation, as some of the dancers and poets seemed less cohesive.

Other performers really stood out, showing their love for improvisation through their actions. ‘Krypto’ demonstrated incredible strength and flexibility with his headstands, handstands and lifts. Musician Vincent Stephen-Ong showed wonderful discretion and rhythm as he infused the pieces with his personal style. Slam poet Andre Prefontaine was a sublime addition to the group, doling out freestyle poetry based on words provided by the audience.

The show was indeed an exercise on improvisation, and with a more discerning eye on the right choice of performers and opportune moments for transition between acts, Selinger will have a strong and inspiring concept on his hands. “I would love to keep this project going,” he said.  “I really hope that people from the show, and maybe people from outside the show, want to help get this out there.”

written on June 20, 2011

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