NOW, Jasmin Vardimon
Now, Jasmin Vardimon Company, Ashford © Tristram Kenton
Sweep, sweep, sweep.
A broom brushes along the stage, directed by a robotic maid. It brushes along the limbs of a recently beaten down man, bringing him back to life and coaxing him from the floor into a liquid duet, his limbs reacting to each stroke of its rough bristles. At one point, he rises from the ground and falls back down in an extreme worm that left my mouth open in amazement and me wanting to hit replay.
“Imagination is the best nation”, a blackboard had recently declared. And I do declare back that Jasmin Vardimon has it in bucketloads.
The common thread of the work was the concept of ‘nowness’: what could possibly come next in the ‘now’ we are collectively experiencing. To test the limits of our expectant minds, each scene took unexpected narrative and tonal turns as they rolled seamlessly in to the next. Comedy was a big part of this work. A rope was cast across the stage and dancers walked across it while lying down, an arial camera projecting a comic tight rope scene on the screen behind them as they fell off and ‘flew’ back up like birds. The rope had a starring role, from being used as stairs by workmen to being formed into the shape of two faces, our friend the arial camera revealing that two dancers in red outfits were in fact dancing as two entwined tongues. But amongst the comedy was a more serious middle where our aforementioned victim was beaten down by a mob and flung about in an incredible show of gymnastics by dancer Donny Beau Ferris.
Now, Jasmin Vardimon Company, Ashford © Tristram Kenton
I am simply in awe of the scope of this work, a piece which has solidified my love for dance theatre. The best art makes you feel, and the changing score (from grime to folk Taylor Swift covers to classical) helped to enhance the changing emotions of the piece, from sad to reflective to emboldened to funny. NOW is touring to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Vardimon’s company, and her skill at weaving narrative threads has been expertly honed during this past quarter century. Reoccurring characters, such as the rope, robotic characters that jumped up and down like malfunctioning mechanical dolls unless held by workmen, flags, and a front camera used to display messages during transitions, were used just the right amount to never feel like crutches and to keep the work the right side of random.
As with jukebox works like this, not all chapters will land well. There were a couple of slower moments that went on for too long, and the falling of confetti felt like such a natural, celebratory end to the work that everything after felt to little superfluous (this might also be because we were hitting the hour mark — an interval would have been appreciated).
To my shame, I had never heard of Jasmin Vardimon before this show so entered Sadler’s Wells East with zero expectations. However, over the course of the evening she very quickly gained a fan for life.
★★★★
NOW by Jasmin Vardimon, performed by Jasmin Vardimon Company
Sadler’s Wells, London / 5 March 2025
Press ticket
On tour until 9 May. Full listings —>
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