Crazy Joanna Reviews

 

Jenni Wren's latest choreographic offering "Crazy Joanna" has had a successful and well received first run of performances in Yorkshire and London (hosted by Cloud Dance Festival).

As the team find time to relax and recharge with some summer holidays and creative catch ups, we bring you the latest reviews from our London performance at the Cochrane Theatre.  As part of Cloud Dance Festival we showed a taster of the piece, with a view to take the full work to London in spring 2011.

 

Cloud Dance Festival Hush
Cochrane Theatre - London - 16/17 July 2010

"An excerpt from Slanjayvah Danza's new work, Crazy Joanna topped the bill.  Again drawing inspiration from tango but mining dark passions, the piece looks at domestic abuse, tapping into different periods of history. Beautiful, compelling, awful - bring on the full length piece." Lindsey Clarke editor Londonist

 

"Slanjayvah Danza's eagerly anticipated return to Cloud Dance Festival did not disappoint. A polished performance of an extract of their new work Crazy Joanna told a restless story of sex and violence on the streets of Buenos Aires through intimate tango and a series of flawless lifts and contact work. Recently praised for highlighting domestic violence in the UK, this beautifully troubled work leaves behind a poignant message in the haunting image of Amir Giles dancing with Dani Ferreira's lifeless body."  Jenny Teale

 

"Slanjayvah Danza's Crazy Joanna is an excerpt of a longer work, dealing with domestic abuse and the painful escape from such situations. The full length piece has film projection integrated into the choreography, but this was cut due to time constraints of fitting into a festival. The overall sentiments were not lost, however, and the feelings of guilt that manifest into uncontrolled violence are magnificently portrayed by Amir Giles. The piece is dark, disturbing, yet breathtakingly beautiful in the tender moments."   Debbie Shine

 

Photography:  Brian Slater

 

 

"To conclude we are treated to Slanjayvah Danza's Crazy Joanna, a work that approaches the subject of domestic abuse with great empathy. The piece begins with the two dancers gripped in a performance of Argentinean tango, accompanied by the appropriate music, revealing the darker side to love and passion. The piece explores the pain of infidelity as a second female diverts the male dancers' attention briefly in the performance. A combination of beauty and tragedy, all the while a celebration of the survivors of domestic abuse, choreographer Jenni Wren and her collaborative dancers must be credited for their sensitive approach to this prevalent issue; a must see performance."  Suzanne Allen

"Slanjayvah Danza, an old hand at Cloud Dance Festival, performed an except from Crazy Joanna, a disturbing exploration of the darker side of passion.  Set in the brothels of Buenos Aires, choreographer Jenni Wren developed a Tango/Contemporary hybrid which is so often attempted but rarely pulled off with such finesse.  The tango steps expanded into space as Joanna lost control of her lover and thus her senses.  At times the music played out as traditional tango, keeping the passion at a high, but it was the quintessential English ballroom tango music that desexualised the the couple's movements, coinciding with the object of Joanna's desire losing interest.  This taster of Crazy Joanna left me wanting to view the work in its entirety - let's hope this opportunity arises soon."  Libby Costello - London Dance.com

"Slanjayvah Danza finish up with Crazy Joanna, a specially adapted dance-only version from their original dance and film integrated work.  The traditional Tango and Flamenco beginning gives way to some brutal contemporary moves, playing out the hard-hitting story of domestic violence.  The way the dancers throw each other around the beautifully soft, red, sunset-lit stage creates an intentionally unsettling scene."  James Cork - People with voices

 

 

Crazy Joanna 2010 Tour
Audience Feedback

 

Slanjayvah Danza would like to thank all those who submitted feedback through normal and confidential channels.  This means a lot to us and hope that others will be inspired by the general response and the strength of the comments left by survivors of domestic abuse, all a very generous offering and compliment to the work we have produced. For this reason we have left all audience feedback anonymous.

 

"We attended the premier of this stunning production. If you are able to make the trip to Leeds, you will have an amazing evening. Dance and film together made an incredible vehicle to carry the message of control, pain and survival to the audience. Thought provoking and inspired!".  - DaiNa Project

 

"Found it powerful and it will stay with me.  Left me breathless!"

 

"OMG!  Fabulous!"

 

"Emotional!  I used to be in an abusive relationship and it really captured all the conflicting feelings and emotions that are involved .  I got out of it like Joanna.  p.s.  I shed a tear at the end."

 

"I was enthralled and riveted. The dance was fantastic, the filming incredible."

 

"Crazy Joanna is a physical outpouring of an inward experience for me, a reenactment of hurt, frustration, anger and shame, a sensitive piece that stirred and challenged these feelings inside me yet again.  Feeling sick as an outsider I watched what I was once like and also welcomed the hope that a different person would evolve".  From someone who has experienced domestic violence."

 

"I thought the performance at SEVEN was stunning & probably the best thing I have ever seen!"

 

"Crazy Joanna... Something I was truly moved by having experienced DV myself"

 

"A brilliant mix of film and dance. I can't compare "Crazy Joanna" to anything else."

 

"As someone who spent three years in a violent relationship, Crazy Joanna hurt to watch.  The dancers all conveyed the passion and emotion involved with amazing undersanding and empathy.  Today is my 3 year anniversary of escaping and what a way to celebrate!  Theres light at the end of that tunnel.  Beautiful, Amazing, Fabulous."

 

"Crazy Joanna' was absolutely fantastic....would love to see it again...Film and Dance work really well together"

 

"Brillaint.  Portrayed Domestic Abuse to a TEE!"

 

"The work definitely needs to be seen by a wider audience, hard to believe this was produced by such a small company."

 

"Amazing!  Dark, passionate and thought provoking"

 

"Absolutely Fantastic - told an inspiring story"

 

"Superb Dancing and portrayal of deep emotions"

 

"Amazing Choreography - so incredible that you can stir so much emotion through body language"

 

"You cannot imagine how it feels when you actually love the person who is doing it to you."