@ Manipulate Festival, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh on Fri 6 Feb 2015
An enigmatic one woman show, Andrea Miltnerova’s Dance of the Magnetic Ballerina sees the Czech dancer, kitted out in a tutu, giving a strong, muscular performance, looking at the mechanics of being a ballet dancer. Miltnerova stands mostly still on a walkway lit by light bulbs on each side, whilst her upper body creates a disorientating cascade of jolts and fluid motions. These repetitive movements and the noisy, industrial music that accompany them give the impression of a machine.
It’s a hypnotising effect which is open to a number of interpretations. In some ways, it shows the dark side of being a ballet dancer, much in the same way that Darren Aronofsky explored in the film Black Swan. Our dancer is pushed to the limits physically, looking almost out of control in her motion, but pressed on by the music that drives her. At times, the dancer, with the help of her tutu and some well chosen lighting effects, is reminiscent of a flower, a bird or a butterfly trying to escape from entrapment. In the closing scene, Miltnerova seems to defy gravity as she levitates from the ground in a broken stance. Finally, the tutu is left lying on the walkway alone, as if either our heroine has escaped or has been removed, ready for the new instrument in the machine to take her place.
It’s a physically strong performance and there’s no denying the talent on show from Miltnerova. However, the performance, even at half an hour, stays longer than it needs to deliver its message.