Tangle Reviews from Fringe Tour 2005

SEE Magazine August 22-28/05

TANGLE
Stage 6
*****

In one of the most truly experimental pieces at Fringe 2005, Winnipeg dancer Ruth Baines builds her stunning contemporary dance perfromance from basic elements. There's light and dark, shadows leaping to the ceiling then shrinking to human level against a screen, the natural beauty of the human body as it challenges itself physical- ly. To this she adds a frame and yards of silky white fabric, otherworldly music and personality, as if she gathered together all the things she loves. But there's discipline here as well --- clean and elemental, nothing over done. And playful- ness. A face appears, a few evocative lines of script. Rippling sheets are tools in her hands. Dance elements mirror themes of frustration and decision as child becomes woman, discovering life, love and loss. This performance won't inspire guffaws, though gently humourous, and the implications are limitless. Dance, theatre and sculpture in motion, it takes "show, don't tell" to a new level.

ALLISON KYDD

Tangle Reviews from Fringe Tour 2004

CBC Winnipeg Fringe 2004

by Con Sweatman

Tangle
Ruthable Productions
(Winnipeg, MB)

July 17, 2004

This is one of those shows I’d rather not review instead leave it unjudged with the emotion lingering that it filled me with…

Tangle first had me doubting it, wondering how long the performer (Ruth Baines) could create interesting imagery dancing within a lit 7x7x8.5 cube draped in fabric lengths. The cube is positioned so that we see her shadow growing in different shapes with the occasional flash of a body part outside the box of where she is actually standing creating some weird visual contradictions. Eventually this became repetitive, and I was left contemplating the tedious electronic music… Finally she speaks and we hear her story as a young girl, while she continues to glide around within her box. Still, I was unsure of the story, and the dancing seemed like modern art from a bad dream.

The girl proceeds into adolescence, we see this physically first, with Ruth simply demonstrating this transition again using the set. Her story continues and she finds more unique ways of manipulating elements of the set into miniature works of art. As the story develops, and the actor’s use of her stage becomes more complicated, both text and dance merge dramatically. Ruth uses the fabric to twist it into all sorts of shapes, creating a swing when she’s feeling playful, and a body bind when she’s feeling trapped. We see her gymnastics as physical symbolism of her sentiments, and this is quite awesome. As her emotions become stronger with time, so does their effect on the audience. The confusing movements and cryptic text meld into a moving work of art and we are drawn into the graceful and profound vision of Tangle.

CBC Winnipeg Fringe Web Site
Fringe Diaries: Christine Burton, July 15 2004

Performers have courage. Most of us resist something as basic as public speaking, but they not only speak, they sing, the dance, they emote. And performers who create their own material display an even greater measure of courage in my books. They take the raw guts of their own lives and transform them for us - effectively asking us to judge not only their performance, but their very essence. The mere thought makes me (and I actually enjoy performing in public) want to break out a kabuki mask!

This evening I had the privilege to watch this kind of creativity and fearlessness in the Ruthable Production "Tangle." Local dancer, Ruth Baines, told a story on 'three levels' as the program describes it that (if I have the three levels right) involves a chronological, geo-political and spiritual/psycho-social exploration of the real and created nature of boundaries. Now, let me say right off that I am not a fan of dance. Or, more accurately, of modern dance. My tastes run from the pedestrian to the predictable - which is to say, from ballet to, say, Stomp. So I allowed myself to be dragged to the show by a friend with some trepidation. But, the Fringe IS a way to experiment, and I expect I am not alone in using the Fringe to try out shows that might be a bit outside my usual safe-zone.

Who knew someone hanging around could be so beautiful? The 'dance' component of this show is less about what I surmise to be 'modern dance' than aerial dance that is reminiscent of the many cirques currently so popular, involving momentary set poses using mechanics and 'ribbon cloths' in dioramas that are serene and dynamic as the same time. The ribbons are transformed fro womb to bed to tree, from baptismal gown to funeral shroud to the snarl of public opinion, but never overshadow the performer. Some of the text seemed unnecessary - more of a technique to link the various movements - and I would have been happy to leave the words behind for more of the dancing. I was glad I went, and it is making me think about whether I might expand my usual arts repertoire by taking in a few dance performances during the usual season.

Fringe 'edginess' can consist of content or form, with 'edge' being essentially self-defined by our own familiarity and experience with the material. For example, many people - me included - were introduced to the incredible power of spoken word poetry by Jem Rolls, who justifiably sold out last year and has opened to rave reviews again this year. I have resisted dance over the years, and so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Tangle. I look forward to seeing you on 'the edge' too.

TANGLE
Venue 6, MTC Warehouse

Winnipeg's Ruth Baines Performs a war dance of massive dimension, using a cube frame, sheets of fabric and a running commentary to express her quandary over the Iraq war. Early on, Baines is trapped in the cube, silently wrestling with a tangle of knotted sheets. It's sort of like Bela Lugosi grappling with that rubber octopus in that Ed Woos movie, but Baines soon wins over her audience with feats of physical derring-do and a less-than-subtle tale: The boy across the street - one G. B. Jr. - wants all the kids in the neighborhood to gang up on a guy named Sam.
-Pat St. Germain, Winnipeg Sun, July 22 2004

Fringe Speak Review Saskatoon Fringe Website 2004

Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 3:10pm Post subject: TANGLE

TANGLE, a tangle indeed, as three art forms are shaped and tied into a cube of pipe and material. Merry-go-round music grabs the ear as the light inside the sheet-draped box come on, illuminating a shadow puppet dancing within. The sheets, draped like a still life study for an art class, eventually open, allowing us to see the dancer struggling into and through the entanglements of life This presentation, a one woman show gracefully danced by the actor and creator, Ruth Baines, attempts to give a sense of the birth and later rebirth of one woman who is caught within her own tangle of thoughts and obsessions. We watch as the tangle of sheets become the set pieces of the woman's life; from a tree house to a hammock to a sweaty and uncomfortable bed, the sheets play the part of the objects that tie her to her emotions, the box from which she cannot (it seems) escape. There are some very clever moments in the show as the music becomes another partner in the dance; at one point SOS by ABBA helps the audience feel the harsh struggling movements have a purpose beyond their repetitive strobe-light actions. It is always important to use the music in dance as a framework, but in this play the music has its own emotional acting to do and helps the audience to become involved in one more level of the medium.

TANGLE does eventually untangle and the woman and her challenges release us in a most satisfactory way. Although the struggling is part of the unfolding of the action, the audience held its breath as the actor wove and entwined herself into the sheets in midair, creating an almost trapeze-like danger which all were glad to see resolved without harm.

This is a pleasing and entertaining production with some very good moments for the pleasure of the eye and the ear. At time the little girl voice first used by the dancer was tricky to understand, but this resolves as she 'grows' into the character. Well worth seeing if you enjoy dance and acrobatics.

For more information please contact Ruth at ruthbaines@hotmail.com.

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