Shock n Awe presents Muscle @ Sherman Cymru

Muscle is certainly the most unique show I've ever seen. With just five men and minimal costumes and props, the Shock n Awe Performance Co create a whole world of characters; men and women, children and pensioners, priests and murderers. It's a testament to the strength of the cast and the writing that we were completely sucked into these characters' stories, seeing an old woman when really a young man stood before us.

Muscle began as a conversation in a pub between writer Greg Cullen and choreographer Phil Williams about what it means to be a man. Determined to move beyond the stereotype of men from Mars, they set out on a journey across Wales interviewing men from all walks of life and, as Greg explains, "Once they started talking, the most incredible stories poured out of them". One of the greatest strengths of Muscle is the diversity of the anecdotes brought to life so expertly through not just acting but dance, animation (from Kirsty Green) and music (composed by RWCMD student Benjamin Talbott). Some, like the story of an extraordinarily well-endowed grandfather, are laugh-out-loud funny, while many are quite heartbreaking, exemplifying the potential fragility of man. Muscle skilfully danced between these two extremes, joy and sorrow, the one heightening the other. The characters ranged from Welsh miners to a Libyan freedom-fighter turned Cardiff cab driver, children in the Valleys to a gay Brazilian ex-Catholic priest. Each story presented a different interpretation of what it means to be a man, but each was thoroughly engrossing.

Many of the stories revolved around fathers - losing one, meeting one, becoming one. It was very interesting to see how much the father-son relationship, or lack thereof, weighs upon the idea of masculinity. Greg and Phil both lost their fathers during the conception of the show and Muscle is a tribute to them that they would surely have been very proud of.

Although I will never know how it feels to be a man, I was still completely gripped by Muscle, because as Greg and Phil say, it's a very human show. You don't have to be a father, a son, a fighter, to be moved by these stories, nor to be swept away with the technical skill of the performers and creatives. It's truly a production not to be missed.

Muscle continues at Sherman Cymru until 17th March then heads on tour. Full details at www.shocknawe.org.uk. Muscle is constantly evolving so you can add your story on their website and it might well be in a future version of the production. Shock n Awe's next project is Love At First Light, opening at Chapter Arts Centre 8th-19th May - once again you can send them your story and maybe see it on stage.


PS: I had this song stuck in my head the whole time I was writing this...

Anant Kumar - Poetry Beyond Borders?

"Poetry is what gets lost in translation" - Robert Frost

I'm back from Iceland and have lots to write about that, but first the talk I went to today: Anant Kumar - Poetry Beyond Borders. Kumar is a poet of Indian origin, living, working and writing in Germany. His talk was meant to address how to overcome cultural differences in poetry. It didn't. At least not explicitly. Instead, Kumar read the introduction to his new book, Stories Without Borders, and several poems, in German and English simultaneously (one verse in each language at a time). Then he repeatedly reminded us that he is "not a best-selling author" while asking why people - academics he has never met - have given so much time and effort to translate his work for free. While I wasn't particularly enthralled with Kumar's poetry and disappointed that his talk didn't give me what I expected from it, it nonetheless got me thinking.

Firstly, Kumar's question - while not what the talk was supposed to be about - is an interesting one. Why do people translate for free? Kumar himself suggested that it comes down to funding. There is so little funding for translators to get their work published that they will work for free if it means getting their name in print. This seems a bit cynical for me though. While he's probably right, I like to maintain a more romantic view that people fall in love with texts and want to share them with the world. I know there are many books that I love and would one day like to translate just so that they could reach a wider audience.

Secondly, Kumar unintentionally made an interesting case for poetry beyond borders by talking in German to an audience who he assumed understood the language when many of us didn't. My German is rudimentary at best (aber ich lerne!) but I enjoyed listening to Kumar read his poems in their original language, more so than in English. It made me think that perhaps the sound of words, their rhythm, their intensity can produce a stronger effect than their semantic meaning. It occurred to me then that poetry can escape linguistic borders in a way that no other literature can. Geographical borders are even more easily transcended, as Kumar himself pointed out that his readers are not 'German' but 'German-speaking', be that in Austria, Switzerland, Turkey or indeed a German teacher in the United States.

What about cultural borders then? When asked if he tried to bridge the gap between Indian and German literary traditions, Kumar said that it is not his intention, but he cannot avoid references to India and its culture. He nonetheless insisted that he was a German writer, as he writes and is almost entirely received in German. Does this mean that the language something is written and read in affects how it is read and interpreted? Does reading a language imply certain cultural understanding? Are we returning to Herder's argument that language is an expression of the soul of a people?  That would surely imply that poetry cannot truly transcend borders, but experience would tell me otherwise. As usual, I have no real answers, only questions to ponder.

African Caribbean Society presents AfroGene

We’ve had Malaysian Society’s Festival of Diversity and Asian Society’s Elements, now it’s African Caribbean Society’s turn with AfroGene. ACS is in its infancy and clearly looks up to these longer running societies, hoping that one day their event too will be an established part of the Cardiff University social calendar. Given the quality of this first performance, it certainly looks set to run for many years to come.

One of the best things about AfroGene was the diversity of performances, not just song and dance, but drama, comedy, poetry and fashion too, all delivered with soul, style and lots of skill. After a warm welcome from the ACS President Chez Mundeta and Vice President Tobi Otudeko, the evening properly began with Silvia Anie-Akwetey, Jac Jones and Danny Kasto performing Jailer. The song gave me goosebumps thanks both to the ethereal beauty of Silvia’s voice and the song’s political message about justice and equality. Jac, who provided the guitar for this and three other numbers, was a real revelation for me, infusing his playing with Caribbean rhythms. I loved the variety of songs, from Clinton’s modern, urban This Girl to Kiki’s spiritual Freedom Reigns, all performed with real talent.  

As for the dancing, Funky Ass Dancers can always be relied on for a strong guest performance (their third in eight days), but what really impressed me was the performances by ACS members themselves, both the group dance montage and Oyinda’s Spotlight Dance.  I was equally jealous of and awed by the way the dancers could make their bodies move. The fashion shows (one in each act), reflect the colour and energy of the dancing in the clothes from the Rhian Jack Summer 2012 collection, designed by Sotonye Walson-Jack, and some perilously high shoes.

At the heart of the performance was a short play, Maame Agbeke Comes to Visit, which centres on the culture shock caused when a UK-based family get a visit from a Nigerian aunt. Silvia is clearly one talented woman as not only can she sing, but she also wrote the play. While very funny and well-acted, the play served to raise important issues about identity and belonging in relation to immigrants and their children. The final scene where Sandra (Maame Agbeke’s sister-in-law from the Virgin Islands who she calls a ‘fake African’) explains the difference and similarities between African and Caribbean cultures did feel slightly didactic, but I still appreciated the new insights it gave me into cultures I don’t know enough about. The cast also deserves praise for bringing so much personality to their performances, particularly Daima Aromolaran in the title role and Raymond Lashwayo as her nephew and wannabe-rapper Ayo.

On either side of the play were comedy and poetry, both welcome additions to the more common combination of dance, drama, song and fashion. It seemed to me that local comedian Leroy Brito was trying too hard to be controversial and I personally didn’t find him as funny as he found himself, but he was certainly ticking the right boxes for many people in the audience. It was also good to see someone from Bute Town talking about the experience of people here in Cardiff, something which many audience members could either relate to or learn from. Banwo the Poet, on the other hand, was another highlight of the show for me. His performance of Signs of the Times was mesmerising, both lyrically dextrous and thought-provoking, juxtaposing wealth and poverty, crime and religion, and questioning modern values (find him on Facebook for videos of more poems). The whole evening was rounded off with some delicious home cooked chicken and rice, showing off yet another aspect of African and Caribbean culture.

If I could give ACS one piece of advice for next year (as I am certain that AfroGene will become a permanent fixture): give the show a more spectacular ending. While I enjoyed the fashion show, something more energetic and exciting, like the ACS dance montage, would have seemed a more fitting culmination of the festivities. This is just nit-picking an otherwise incredible show, full of passion and spirit, which demonstrated what a wealth of culture ACS has to offer. Bring on next year’s AfroGene! 

Remember you can find the African Caribbean Society on Facebook and Twitter @CaridffACS 

A new Chapter for reading in the community

As promised in my last post, more on World Book Day at Chapter :D

Books have long been part of the community at Chapter, as it is home to  Cardiff Read book club (@CardiffRead), as well as many fantastic literature-related performances and events. Now Chapter have taken that one step further by creating an official Bookcrossing zone in the foyer. This bookshelf near the gift shop will permanently house a collection of books that visitors can take, read and replenish, as long as they log them on bookcrossing.com of course!

I spoke to Jess Best, one of the organisers of CardiffRead, about the new initiative, as well as what Cardiff Read does and how to get involved. Sorry for the background noise - there is never a quite corner in Chapter (which is clearly a good thing as it's a sign of a thriving community centre)!



I then spoke to Claire Vaughan who works at Chapter about what inspired her to bring Bookcrossing to Cardiff.



So why not head to Chapter for a free book - who knows what you might find?

Lothar Gotz: Wait Until Dark @ Chapter

So today I was desperate to find one Literature Wales' brown paper packages tied up with string. So desperate that I walked around the university buildings and the RWCMD peering through shelves and under tables. I didn't even care what the book was, I just wanted the excitement of finding it. I think if I'd had the transport to get to Gwdihw, the WMC or Milgi's I might have found one. This unrelenting need for one of these packages made me walk all the way to Chapter. Needless to say, I didn't find a package in the end, but I did find some very exciting and unexpected art work (and some lovely Bookcrossing people, more on that soon).

Chapter Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition by Lothar Gotz called Wait Until Dark, which combines some of his drawings together with specially commissioned installations and wall paintings. Gotz is famed for his use of vivid colours and geometric shapes with immense visual force (like Circus below, which has an incredible impact in real life).

The German artists also explains that his work is inspired by the buildings that house it and what else they are used for, their inhabitants and their histories. The colours are meant to represent the spirit of these people, places and activities. In the case of Chapter, this means performance (hence Circus), community, excitement. What struck me most, however, was how so many of the works seemed to have incorporated the physical form of books, like the picture below which evokes pages turning. Perhaps I just had World Book Day on my mind, but it feels that this exhibition is the perfect accompaniment to Chapter's dedication to bringing reading into its community with its new Bookcrossing zone.

The exhibition is free and runs until Sunday 1st April 2012.

Celebrating diversity at Cardiff University

As part of Go Global, the annual celebration of cultural diversity at Cardiff University, the Asian Society put on a Bollywood spectacular at the National Museum of Wales. The production comprised traditional dancing, singing (from traditional to pop to rap) and a fashion show, topped off with a delicious three-course dinner.

Here's what I had to say about the production, as well as a backstage interview with Reemia Peters, one of the committee and performers, and a preview of African-Caribbean Society's AfroGene.



UPDATE: I had an interview yesterday (29 Feb) with Tobi from African Caribbean Society about what they do and the show.

Connie Fisher interview

Going through my old shows recently, I realised that I never posted my interview with Connie Fisher from November last year. I caught up with her just before a recording of the comedy panel show What's The Story? for BBC Wales. We talked about what makes Wales special musical and she was also very candid about her health problems and future ambitions.



I look forward to seeing her in Wonderful Town at the Wales Millennium Centre in the summer.