MEAT

Emilie Hope

I like bodies. All kinds. I like muscle, I think it’s beautiful. The way it twists and curves around our bones. I especially love the way dancers have a superhuman ability to be both light and strong in their grace. Can you guess that I like dance shows? And there’s one at BATS right now! MEAT is choreographed by Tui Hoffmann and produced by the Dance Plant Collective, and explores the factory-farming industry and also what it means to have flesh.

The Heyday Dome is transformed into a traverse stage with a white lino floor. Plastic lines the floor, both clear and milky-kind of plastic. They frame the two sets double doors in the space, the main entrance doors and those that lead to backstage. The lighting by Sam Folkard-Hodgson is executed with samurai sword precision, using lights on the ground (turtles) and using a small but effective palette of warm, cool, pink, and red lighting. There were moments that bordered on strobing which I loved as it timed perfectly with Alex Zielinski’s (aka. Riyoon) music. In parts, the music of Billie Eilish’s new album. We start with a kind of heartbeat along with popcorn popping / electric crackles / water trickling sounds. The music had heavy beats with the addition of lighter, sharper sounds, juxtaposing the weight of the animals with the processes they go through to then arrive on our plate, in the form of (say) a well-cooked brisket.
 
Tackling the meat industry is a hard one because there are so many facets. We follow the life of creatures bred to be consumed as the four dancers begin on the plastic stage in red slips. I wish the opening night costume malfunction of a broken strap had given one of the dancers more confidence to display her body – breasts are not inherently sexual, remember? – rather than drawing attention to it by constantly pulling her slip up, especially as later Bella Wilson would be in a tight, nude-coloured leotard for the rest of the performance.
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The plastic is short-lived, quickly gathered by Natasha Kohler into a makeshift princess puff-dress, which she then flits around in before leaving the stage. I would have thought this could have been more of a comment on the transport of livestock and packaging of meat, but instead the collective decided to focus more on the fashion elements, which to me is a tentative link. Brittany Kohler struts around the stage, occasionally voguing, in her leopard print crop top and black chiffon cape. All but Bella change costumes into some sheer pants which still highlighted their red laced briefs, and a sheer top with decorative hexagon shapes in various shades of red.

The clearest part of the dance is when the music was intercut with instructions on how to carve up a creature to create a tasty brisket. Every movement was precise. You could watch any one of the dancers at any time, they were all doing something incredibly interesting. The movement was repetitive with slight variants, reminding us the cyclical nature of the meat works and indeed the entire industry, and therefore a reflection on our consumption. Again, here there was unity amongst all the production elements to make it the climax of the dance.
Dance’s strength lies in movement and precise sound. The ending, with Jaz Yahel breathing into the suspended microphone was chilling, but then she told us to “Give thanks”, to the various industries. This felt like they were driving their message home too much, thus revealing an insecurity of the performance itself.

The dancers, of course, show us their amazing physical feats. There are moments when they show true unity, understanding and listening to each other’s bodies. Sisters Brittany and Natasha show this very intimately as they both try to grab and hold one another, always touching, while also trying to move across the stage. Brittany smirks at the audience and reveals a sense of superiority as shown with her fashion-driven character. Natasha was rawer, giving the audience an unflinching gaze that seemed to reach into our gut as she continued to display her beautifully controlled movement. Jaz displayed a sense of strength with her movements that was no less graceful. Her slow, repeated movements, such as when she’s consuming a makeshift heart, are captivating. Out of all four of the dancers, I found Bella was able to go that little bit further to hit the right marks, pushing her body as far as it would go, and for never ceasing moving. For the majority of the performance, she is on the ground with well-used knee pads, shuffling and curling in her nude-coloured leotard representing the creatures we farm. Her had constant consistent energy. Hofmann’s clever choreography plays to the strengths of the dancers.

The ending calls us back to the micro. The final image of the show is of Bella curled in a petri dish as meat molecules are formed and projected onto her body, ending in a recognisable muscle tissue. What is the difference between the meat we consume and the meat we own (our bodies)? Why are some meats (us) more precious than others? MEAT reminds us that change starts from within.

A beautiful piece of body endurance. I appreciate the meat that is on these dancer’s bones in a non-cannibalistic manner. I am interested in what issue the Dance Plant Collective will tackle next.

It will be MEAT's last night at BATS on Saturday 13th. Get your tickets here so as to not miss this show.