Resolution Festival Review – THU 23 JAN 2025

by Sumi Xiaomei Cheng

The Place, London.

Athena Choi-Ha Leung Barbie’s World

Lucy Turner Vitruvian Man

Maria Garcia Bees and Beasts and the Horrish FishTales

Last night’s triple bill at Resolution Festival featured diverse vibrantly explored themes—from Michaelangelo’s The Creation of Adam to Confucianism to Girls Just Want To Have Fun and Endometriosis.

Athena Choi-Ha Leung’s Barbie’s World begins with three women under spotlights, each in a girlish costume—the playful pink aesthetic evoking Blondie or Cindy Lauper, but Asian. The piece is about the female role in East Asian societies. The dancers’ undeniable strength and precision shine in Leung’s choreography, which merges Chinese opera, hip-hop, and ballet. From astonishing acrobatics to playing Rock Paper Scissors with the audience, the show juxtaposes doll-like smiles and obedient femininity with kung fu and robotic movements, critiquing societal expectations. Eclectic music and the lighting design transcend Asian boundaries, making this playful yet profound performance a vibrant journey into the complexities of womanhood. Leung’s Barbie’s World is a must-see cultural celebration.

Taking Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic drawing as an inspiration, Vitruvian Man by Lucy Turner and Sonny Cwynarski highlights art and geometry. The start of the show is promising, with the dance duo entering on stage, resembling Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. The costumes evoke The Kiss by Klimt. Cwynarski’s breakdancing and cartwheels are also impressive. However, excessive visual art references and a mysterious flashlight sitting centre stage, distract and overshadow the detailed hand choreography. The music engages but the show still feels dragged out in the end.

Bees and Beasts and the Horrish FishTales by Maria Garcia, performed with Ruby Antonowicz-Behnan, is a somatic experience—more physical theatre than traditional dance. Trigger warning: the story effectively engages with endometriosis, but if you are into tragicomedy style stories, Bees and Beasts and the Horrish FishTales is laugh-out-loud funny and eerily gripping in the best way.

To sum up, a very entertaining night.

Resolution Festival 2025 at The Place – London Contemporary Dance School. The original review on this page (and its companion review) can be found at: https://theplace.org.uk/blogs-stories/thu-23-jan-2