After raving about Fusion’s ‘The Story of Man’ production in 2012, I leapt at the chance to share my opinion on this year’s offering. The theme chosen for this year is ‘La Mer: Turn of the Tides’ which I initially thought was a risky choice. I mean, how many different variations of fish costume could they parade around in before it all gets a bit London Aquarium? And could there ever be a logical narrative to such a broad theme? ‘La Mer: Turn of the Tides’, in true Fusion fashion, dips and dives like a performing dolphin through all topics under and over the ocean in its performance time. Just like the sea, the show fluctuates between the stormy and the calm, skimming the breezier surface and exposing the darkness beneath.
The showcase takes a while to click into motion and pull together the immense energy which resonates throughout. The first sequence begins serenely with hauntingly beautiful singing, which makes striking use of the acoustics in Central Hall. The rest of the show is an erratic bombardment of imagery and movement, plunging head first through all things aquatic, keeping the audience in anticipation at every breather. The performances are vibrant, cheeky and often humorous, with the welcome addition of little comic touches to keep the show lighthearted, ensuring it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The accompanying soundtrack and lighting are skillfully placed, and more effort is made to engage with the audience this time round.
Some of the most memorable sequences included The Dance of the Octopus, where the white arms on a black costume stood out to portray an octopus’s movements in such an innovative way, and Below Deck, where the music from the cruise ship above is distorted, and the dancers underneath used their feet to create their own music. The performance has an underlying darker and bleaker side, with particularly poignant pieces including The Wings of Blackness, depicting dying birds in an oil spill with fluid movements, accompanied by a catwalk of mourning outfits and veils. The 21st Century Pirates sequence was also captivating, with some impressive street dancing.
Fusion, which mixes together dance, modelling and music with a slice of fashion on the side, very much has a formula to it. The unpredictable sequences are combined expertly with a heartwarming mini-story, creative costumes and a cheeky bit of flesh-flashing (all tastefully done, of course) which all tie up neatly at the end with a catwalk of flashback snippets from each sequence. It’s a real shame that the Central Hall audience was not full to the brim last night. I urge you to abandon your plans and get down to campus this weekend to support an evening of sheer, bold and unashamed entertainment, with all proceeds from your ticket going to RAG. I guarantee that, without labelling the show a circus, you will witness some weird and wonderful things: impressive acrobatics, baywatch beauties (we’ve all seen the posters), the tightest gold leggings ever seen on a man and some of the happiest human crabs in the world.
The highlight for me was definitely the spankie boys!