Review of "PULS pt - 1" by Yared Tilahun Cederlund

"Puls is a tale about humans’ unlimited capacity to vibe, told from the inside of a dancer. Literally from under their skin.”

Yared Tilahun Cederlund, the choreographer and composer of PULS – pt. 1, entered the stage and proceeded to wear a heart monitor and an ultrasound device that sounded off with his heartbeat and welcoming words into the speakers. The audience was lullabied into the space and into his world where his collaborators, every piece of the scenography and Yared’s musical hardware soon became the sound that framed the piece.

The stage was draped in silk, a poetic element that the dancers pounded in synchronisation to the sounds, giving the performance a subtleness and gentle opening to the journey of rhythm ahead.

Dancers have a unique way of hearing music; they listen with every cell in their body. I was therefore pleased to see PULS – pt.1 take its musical interpretation to a new level, giving it centre stage. It became the 7th element in the space beside the 6 perceived elements of groove, character, originality, intention, creativity, and social interaction.

The performers on stage each transformed into instruments with their voices, stomping and drumming. The audience could engage in the flow through the music created in real time by the dancers, a surreal and transcendent experience.

The lyrical vocal parts by Niki Tsappos and Maele Sabuni brought an existentialism to the story, playing off hip-hop’s elements and spoken word. In this theatrical setting, Yared and his storytelling companions weaved the intricacies of street dance into new shapes and forms that could lay the foundation of dance in its new era.

The internationally renowned dancers each brought a pulsation in their distinct strengths with a red thread of popping. Ida Holmlund’s drizzling combination of voguing and popping, Yared’s distinct style of house and popping with influences of eskista, Niki's esoteric hip-hop flow, Maele's meditative house and African influences, Alexander Dam’s hypnotic soft popping and Natașa Baykal’s aural movements and vocals all came together to accommodate the live rendition of beats and percussions beautifully.

Yared is a maestro of a director. Putting together a sonic landscape with musical hardware that invites his fellow performers on stage to naturally engage, while giving space for each and everyone’s unique personas creates a magical, communal experience. Especially when one has the insight of the intense and often short periods choreographers are afforded to create a piece. With his multiple roles, Yared effortlessly gives us a few laughs here and there which is immensely entertaining and charming. And as the piece closed out with a sweet melodious vocal sung by Natașa Baykal, the dramaturgy of PULS – pt.1 had taken us on a circular trip of the limitless frequency of vibes pon vibes.

Yared Tilahun Cederlund’s PULS – pt. 1 seems to be the beginning of a story with many heights and depths of multiple disciplines shining extensively. The playfulness was a refreshing sign in the dance world, where joy is granted as much space as the intellectual.  Which makes me look forward to Yared’s Puls part 2 with a tingly feeling of happiness. 

By Ayesha Quraishi