Like a shadow moving out of the darkness, the beauty and the beast that is Shakti reveals herself to her audience and embarks on a show that offers all the power and raw sexuality that she is famed for.
Through silent performance, Shakti re-writes this classic tale in such a way that it challenges the perception of the existence of good without evil, life without death and light without darkness. Immersing herself in the characters she portrays, Shakti examines the duality of the beauty and the beast within us all.
The striking choreography of this piece is intensified with a dramatic musical score from Arban and Steven Severin and two very talented backing dancers. Together Shakti and her two cohorts breathe life into the potent imagery that runs through the length of the performance, delivering one captivating scene after another.
Each aspect of the re-telling of this fairytale, from the ‘Empty Palace’ to the ‘Rose’ is an experience to behold; a perfect marriage of light and shadow, music and movement. On only one occasion does this imagery fall flat but Shakti’s recovery is swift and complete with the might of her successive acts.
Shakti is an artist who understands the power of dance and the human form and wields this power with incredible sensuality. Shakti has embraced the beast within her and declares herself free.
4/5
Matthew Straw
