Review: Dimanche by Compagnie Focus & Chaliwaté – an absolute must see
Matthew Paluch sees Dimanche by Compagnie Focus & Chaliwaté: “a seriously important work that leaves a lasting impression”
| Title | Dimanche |
| Company | Compagnie Focus & Chaliwaté |
| Venue | Peacock Theatre, London |
| Date | 30 January 2024 |
| Reviewer | Matthew Paluch |
MimeLondon returns for 2025 (Tuesday 14 January until Saturday 1 February) at numerous venues, and I was lucky enough to catch Dimanche by Compagnie Focus & Chaliwaté at the Peacock Theatre.
When work is this good it seems a disservice to do a blow-by-blow review of each moment as you want others to experience the show in the same way that you did. In short – it’s an absolute must see, on many different levels for numerous reasons.
Dimanche is the epitome of talented people collaborating over a subject that’s important to them. And the focus is the climate crisis.
There are many different ways to communicate a story, and Compagnie Focus & Chaliwaté use numerous mediums, but what’s evident throughout is a balance of sensibilities: tragedy interwoven with humour, laughter underpinned by a darker agenda.
From the outset one is immersed, be it through perspective play, refined puppetry, intelligent screen work or lessons in human behaviour and subsequent fallout.
Dimanche takes the audience from melting ice caps to extreme heat, wind and tsunamis… with lots of different characters to meet along the way. There are three intrepid explorers, a polar bear and cub. A married couple and elderly lady. A flamingo and chick and a whole underwater world.
The adult polar bear is so life-like you can’t believe it’s a puppet, which says a lot about the way the puppet master is embodying far more than just a furry appendage.
All scenes make an impact, but the final underwater reality is a theatre moment I won’t forget for a long time. The combination of otherworldly lighting, sound effects, and ingenious choices of floating objects truly transforms the performance environment.
Fish pecking at toast, a sinister shark swimming by, and a swarm of jellyfish created by the most successful ‘handography’ I’ve ever witnessed take the audience far from where they entered the theatre at the start of the show.
Compagnie Focus (Julie Tenret) and Chaliwaté (Sandrine Heyraud and Sicaire Durieux) have created seriously important work with Dimanche, that leaves a lasting impression of both skill and foreboding futures. I wondered about the title choice and possible meanings… a day of rest? Or a day of reckoning? The latter seems to be winning at the moment.
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 was formerly on faculty at The Royal Ballet School. He completed his Masters in Ballet Studies at Roehampton University in 2011, has been a freelance writer since 2010 and currently works in the Law Sector.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
