Press

 

The whole piece is hallucinatory, other-worldly and like nothing I’ve seen before; tapping into hair being long eroticised as the object of hyper-sexualised femininity. In ‘Exhibit F’ hair is a symbol of resilience and female power and ownership, not to be romanticised and fawned over by men. 

Dance Art Journal
 

Becky Namgauds’ solo “Exhibit F” begins in darkness, with a soft spotlight illuminating a faceless, long-haired, crouching creature. Sounds of running water evoke a mythical forest or a sacred spring where it can come to life and learn to flex its muscles. Namgauds’ bare back, arms and long hair are the expressive centers of a movement language that is primal and animalistic. For much of the piece, she is upside-down, standing on her head or kneeling while manipulating her shoulders, flexing and rotating her torso. The soundtrack of whispers culminates in a beautiful and haunting lament, sung by Yael Claire Shahmoon, as Namgauds covers more space, rolling, falling, tumbling from side to side. In the end, she stands – now fully a woman – and looks back at us before walking away.

The Theatre Times 

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This next solo offers a different expression of modern anxiety; this time, from a female perspective. The dancer appears suddenly in spotlight, kneeling; face obscured, as she leans forward – her long hair hanging down in front of her. Thereafter, she slowly edges forward on her knees, manipulating her hair and back in such a way that she looks like a ‘creature’ – an alien. As she moves across the floor, she spirals, twists, undulates, and doubles over; all the while fighting with – and making love to – her hair. It is both a riveting and uncomfortable expression of female body anxiety; an effect heightened by her (waist-up) nakedness, and the drone-effect sound-scape. The partial nudity is, by no means, gratuitous. In fact, her fluid, articulate movements almost demand it. 

Afridiziak Theatre News

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Becky Namgauds' solo Exhibit F is a poignant work. Uneasy and tussled Namgauds is bare chested and breathes heavily. It stands as a raw and commanding piece.

Cath Carver