Up: Violin Vs Football dance review – Playful joy
Creative spheres collide in a sport-music hybrid show, with a duo who dance in an uplifting harmony
They might seem unlikely bedfellows, but with their mirrored abilities to blend percussive thwacks and fluid weaving patterns, violins and footballs have a lot in common. Or, at least, violinists and footballers do in creating these sounds and shapes. Both disciplines also require years of obsessive practice to master, and it’s abundantly clear, almost as soon as this show begins, that Gabriel Majou on violin and Paul Molina, a freestyle footballer, are masters of their arts.
Majou plays an electric violin, looping riffs of his own compositions in tumbling, climbing arpeggios and slides. Soon he is joined by Molina, dribbling and flicking his ball to the pulse of the music. It could be a meet-cute in the park, and there is a sweet, intimate undercurrent to the vibe these two artists find in each other. The show’s best moments come when they really tune into the other’s rhythm, with Majou heading the ball in between violin licks and Molina timing his kick-ups to perfectly slot into Majou’s pizzicato ditties. It is a show built around experimental tricks for the most part though, with little friction and only the slightest of narratives. Still, what a playful joy to watch this collision of worlds.
Up: Violin Vs Football, French Institute, until 27 August, 6pm.