Matthew Paluch sees Katherina Radeva’s 40/40 at The Place
| Title | 40/40 |
| Company | Katherina Radeva |
| Venue | The Place, London |
| Date | 23 February 2023 |
| Reviewer | Matthew Paluch |
It’s daunting to review some people and their work… especially when they seem to cover all possible scopes of creativity and thinking.
Katherina Radeva (Kat) is one of those kinds of people. In her own words, she’s “a set and costume designer, a performance maker and a visual artist. I write, I design, I move, I dance, I draw” – I’m out!
Joke. I’m very much in. Though a little afraid. Radeva brings her 2022 solo work 40/40 to The Place during her UK tour.
The work seems to offer many things, and all from an autobiographical place (edited): “woman, migrant, artist, past, present, future, speech, movement” – intriguing right?
The final word Radeva says at the end of the evening was “worthwhile?”, and the answer is a resounding yes.
She opened the event with a short (live) monologue where she spoke of context, and the importance it carries. Another MASSIVE yes.
The content of the piece is also relevant, but the fact it’s all borne from Radeva’s worthwhile context is the clincher.
In its simplest form, it’s a one-woman show made up of recorded voice notes acting as narration, and dance solos. The subjects covered are broad and profound, yet individual and accessible.
Something Radeva missed off her CV is ‘philosopher’. Well at least that’s where her approach to thinking took me. She spoke of her childhood to young parents, insecurities caused through body shaming, migrancy to the UK at 16 and the associated isolation, the expectation to provide, a marriage ending at 30, and where she is now in her 40th year.
And where is she? I’d suggest a place of openness, clarity and optimism, and all fuelled by what came before, and what’s possible ahead.
The dance interludes were a hoot. She offered pedestrian-style club jigging, improvisation, and detailed, repeated upper-body phrasing – all feeling genuine in both content and execution. The music ranged from hard house, to euphoric Nick Cave and some of the Balkans’ best.
One number was performed to a track called Maki Maki where she showed a Bulgarian/Balkans folk dance, normally led by men. This I loved. People don’t disconnect with who they are, or where they come from regardless of diaspora. Radeva was the music, in both rhythm and style. It’s the people’s dance so the movement is simple; of the street. But it’s what you can do with it that matters, and in fact the whole (choreographic) premise of the show comes from a similar vein of thinking.
Another interesting dance interlude could be described as ‘the threading solo’, where Radeva seemed to be working with an invisible needle and thread throughout. At times it seemed to create pleasure, at others it worked as a form of silencing as she sewed her mouth together, elsewhere pain as she pulled it through tough, resistant tissue. The physicality of this solo had much behind it contextually speaking. Another example of simplicity communicating gravitas.
Further important themes discussed were permission and anger: permission in relation to acceptance and exploration allowances; anger as reality, and a form of inspiration if utilised wisely.
Many attire changes happened throughout the 50 minutes, with moments of partial, purposeful nudity interspersed – cleansing it seemed. As the work unfolded, she engaged with the audience in a very natural way. Not overplayed, but definitely acknowledging she was with them as opposed to separate.
There was a point about 10 minutes in where I started to question whether it was working, but then Radeva engrossed me. In her persona, honesty (both movement execution and personal insight) and agency. The work transpired into an art-as-therapy style happening. Nothing naff or New Age–esque – something far more idiosyncratic. It’s truly powerful to witness an engaged, humble artist acknowledging their right to space. To consideration. Whilst resisting definition as just one thing. Worthwhile indeed.
Matthew Paluch was awarded a place at The Royal Ballet School in 1990 where he graduated in 1997. His first four years as a professional dancer were spent working with London City Ballet, Scottish Ballet, K-Ballet and English National Ballet, becoming a full-time member of ENB until leaving in 2006.
Matthew graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance, Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma in 2007, and is currently on faculty at The Royal Ballet School. He completed his Masters in Ballet Studies at Roehampton University in 2011 and has been a freelance writer since 2010. He is a Trustee (2021) of the Royal Academy of Dance and works in the Law Sector.
