Painting with bodies in Sharon Eyal and George Rouy’s ‘BODYSUIT’

A quartet of dancers slither forward with their arms held up beside themselves. As the music thumps, their muscles follow the rhythm. At the beat of the drum, their shoulders pop down in unison. It’s quick and contorts the arm just far enough to build tension within the body. It looks dislocated, until the shoulder rises again. The tension continues building. It is palpable. Then, the energy shoots out with a step away from the pack.

Before This Moment by George Rouy – Courtesy Hauser & Wirth – Photo: Damian Griffiths.

Choreographer Sharon Eyal and artist George Rouy’s “BODYSUIT” at Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles brought the imagery of Rouy’s artwork to life. As dancers move in front of his work “BODYSUIT Sequence II” and atop a reflective floor, the sharp movements of the limbs create snapshot tableaus with the painting. Eyal’s choreography, co-created with Gai Behar, challenges the concept of unity. While at times somatic with steady bounces and slowly shifting intentions, exciting disruptions — no matter how subtle — offer a glimmer into the power of contrast. One person goes this way. Another goes the other way. Another person stands still. “BODYSUIT” perfectly replicates the imagery of Rouy’s exhibition “The Bleed, Part II” by capturing that fruitful moment where the bodies collide.

Eyal’s movement style has a way of making the most uncomfortable-seeming steps feel as weightless and free as a leap. It contains quick, staccato jerks of the body. It could be as large as an entire arm or as small as a finger. As they move in unison, they look like a creature cracking out of its shell. When they emerge, their movements delineate.

‘BODYSUIT’ by Sharon Eyal & George Rouy Commissioned by Hannah Barry Gallery Co-produced by Hauser & Wirth Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles, 18 February 2025 Courtesy Hauser & Wirth – Photo: Mario de Lopez.

Johnny McMillan starts the trend of breakthroughs, stepping further from the crew, popping his hips back and forth in the blink of an eye. His speed makes his approach particularly remarkable. The movement feels more animated and artificial even though it is created from pure human capability. Juan Gil follows suit and breaks away from the isolated twitches to fully extend his legs and arms. Darren Devaney’s movement shifts into hyper-masculine tableaus, flexing and punching the air around him. Clyde Emmanuel Archer explores the opposite — femininity — embodying a soft and sultry tone in his extension and contortions. You can sense how their personalities and approaches collide most when they connect. At a single tick in the music McMillan flings his hand (which is holding Gil’s leg) up, Gil extends further, Archer’s bends even more and Devaney simulates a punch to the face. Their movements are aesthetically separated but heavily impactful on each other. Eyal stitches them together to tell a story of colliding bodies.

While the environment can feel stagnant at points, repeating similar movements and patterns, the music by Rouy and lighting by Andrew Watson alter the world before the mood runs stale. The lights shift and the music reverberates a new beat. Rouy’s music is ethereal with a house undertone providing the dancers with a rhythmic guide. Meanwhile, his distorted voice hums over the performance. You can feel the shift in the dancers.

Just when it feels like all that could be achieved by the four is completed, Alice Godfrey enters with a lethal stare. She moves with such control and makes her presence known. As the four other performers create tableaus upstage, Godfrey commands your attention. You can sense how she feels as she goes through the steps. She folds into herself and looks down at her hands. As she unfolds, her eyes explore the feeling of unraveling, landing on the audience, demanding everyone to follow her internal monologue. Her performance is raw. When she extends back and forth, pulling her limbs in opposite directions while on one leg, you can sense the struggle and strength. This is the purpose.

The feet paint the mirrored dance floor. Feet swivel, and in the reflection, shins slam into another dancer’s body. Sweat smears on the ground as they shuffle and hop on the balls of their feet. At first feeling like a struggle, they begin to embrace the collisions. Their reflections are distorted on the ground and their bodies are blended into one another. When the performers march off stage, a new painting is left in their wake.

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Written by Steven Vargas for LA Dance Chronicle.

Featured image: ‘BODYSUIT’ by Sharon Eyal & George Rouy Commissioned by Hannah Barry Gallery Co-produced by Hauser & Wirth Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles, 18 February 2025 Courtesy Hauser & Wirth – Photo: Mario de Lopez.