Dancing through the transitions of life

Ballet

Metamorphosis, Lyric Theatre

Metamorphosis is defined as the process of a great and sudden change in appearance or character, such as in the development of an immature caterpillar to an adult butterfly. In the same vein, this one-hour solo dance piece by American-born Maria Caruso depicts a story of the transitions that a woman travels through from the moment of birth. I had the opportunity to have a front row seat at one of just two performances at the Lyric Theatre. It brought to light the importance of the authentic self so effectively – we need more West End shows as raw and life-changing as this one.

Every element of the dance tells a very different tale of the particular stage a woman goes through. It demonstrates the embodiment of the true inner experiences of a woman entering this world and travelling through its phases. Starting from the moment of birth, opening her eyes, finding the ability to see and to look around the world in which she has just entered, oblivious of what it entails. Discovering the ability to speak, realising that she has a voice, her soul waking up in her mortal body; Maria expresses how she permeates the various stages of life in the world.

We must create our own space through which we have the trajectory to influence others.

The staging is minimalist but effective, consisting of four dresses in different colours hung from the ceiling and spread across the width of the stage space. The piece begins with the dancer wrapped in a fabric of a colour very close to the colour of her skin. She opens her eyes into this world and that fabric cradles her and nurtures her as she transitions through the varying 'colours of life'.

Maria's personification of each of the dresses and the nude fabric portrays the idea that each stage of life must be lived through and only then she can pass on to the next. Throughout the piece, as she lives through each dress, she finds comfort in the fabric which represents her true self or another person who makes her feel safe and herself. She feels the need to go back to herself each time she develops into a new phase; each time she goes back she embraces the fabric differently.

Wearing the black dress, Maria demonstrates the emotions of an adolescent where they experience pains, fear, confusion and almost the thought of wanting to step out of their body. She struggles to live in the dress, she scratches her skin and periodically screams in frustration. She portrays the young self perfectly and the audience can feel her emotions through her facial expressions and movements. The green dress portrays a wall, the experience of being trapped, not being able to find relief, looking to escape but finding oneself captured. The red dress demonstrates her feminine side, her sexuality, and passion and she finds herself enjoying this phase. The final dress is the ultimate self; body positivity which refers to Maria's current work as creative director of the company, Bodiography.

The performance ended with Maria walking to the front of the stage cradling the fabric like a mother carrying her baby in her arms, relating to a very personal experience in her life. Through this piece the dancer relives various personal life experiences, leading back to her childhood and the impact of her experiences through the different stages of her life and relationships. She dwells upon the past intensely through this contemporary ballet, exerting her internal energies and emotions.

Following the dance, Maria held a 30-minute Q+A session which explained how the play has evolved over time to highlight key events in her life. Maria's take-home message was a simple but resonating one: we must create our own space through which we have the trajectory to influence others.

More information on Maria Caruso's work can be found here.