COMPANY NAME: Kompany Malakhi	TITLE OF SHOW: Boxin
DATE OF VISIT: 09/10/99	VENUE: Royal National Theatre Foyer

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It is difficult to analyse a performance of only ten minutes, however I will say what I can, most of which will be positive, except the fact that I could not really call it a dance performance.

 

While sitting in the foyer of the Royal National, a foreign-looking tramp rushed through randomly passing out leaflets, which looked like some kind of political protest. He rushed through so quickly he almost didn’t register – it was only his incongruity that made him stick in my mind. A few minutes later one of the theatre security guards, holding a radio, went past and approached a table, around which he made a border on the carpet with a roll of tape. This obviously unusual behaviour drew some attention but due to his being a member of staff he also went unnoticed by many.

 

Not for long though, because it became clear that people were not allowed to cross the line he had made, and he went on making more of them, around tables and people innocently walking past. As he made a border he spoke into his radio describing the people he was bordering off. He made one line around nothing in particular, just a line across the thoroughfare, and he actually convinced people that they could not walk over it, but had to walk around. And presumably because he was in a uniform, and looking official, they believed him even though there was no obvious or logical reason why they should walk around except that he said so.

 

Eventually the tramp came back through and was, predictably, accosted by the ‘guard’ and bordered off with a tape line. The tramp shouted general anti-establishment protests, jumping around and gesturing wildly. By this time the performance was clearly no longer trying to be subversive and had everyone’s attention. The guard began to join in with the tramp’s assertions, appearing to agree with him and egg him on. When the tramp was in a complete frenzy, whipping his body around wildly and jumping about, (which I may point out was the only thing remotely dance-like in the whole performance) the guard took out his tape and as the tramp whipped around he wound the tape around him until eventually his arms were confined completely.

 

When the tramp had calmed down the guard abusively ordered him to leave, apologised to the audience for the disturbance, and left himself. Just when we thought it was all over, the tramp rushed back in, muttered something foreboding to one of the spectators, and rushed out again.

 

It is not my purpose to draw any conclusions from the ‘short’, but it was possibly the most original performance I have ever seen and I regretted not being able to see Kompany Malakhi’s full show as much was promised from the ‘short’. It was completely convincing, compelling, and utterly strong. It was both entertaining and disturbing. These people deserve more funding than they are getting. This is the kind of art that people will pay money to see.