ANGS

Angs, the Afrikaans translation of anxiety is a choreographic piece taking a look at the various physical and emotional experiences associated with anxiety disorders. 

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The piece portrays both the sufferer and their anxiety but each dancer is dressed the same to not draw specific attention to either. This piece is not about the story of the sufferer but of the experiences. It fixes the focus from the anxiety sufferer to the feeling and from the disease to the experience. This is further emphasised by the fact that the sufferer in the piece is depicted by different dancers at different points in time.

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Throughout the piece, there is a prevalent movement sequence to tie together the different themes portrayed throughout the choreography.

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Themes and focus

00:03 The piece starts off with the anxiety sufferer in a dreamlike state. Anxiety (portrayed by our other dancers) starts off as a trio thought, portraying the constant chatter in the mind experienced by some anxiety sufferers. The sufferer is here also seen to lay her head on some dormant anxiety; not taking over the mind at this point but a reminder of its presence. 

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00:33 The piece progresses with the sufferer experiencing a sense of being out of control and anxiety dictating the movement and going-about of the sufferer. There is lifting, pulling, rolling and movement is dictated by impetus from the anxiety portraying characters. 

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0:48 Next follows the feeling of anxiety coming in waves. The sufferer is picked up by groups or clusters of anxiety appearing and ebbing. Again, lifts and feelings of up and down, like that of a current, are used before ending off with the sufferer taking some form of medication to still the anxiousness. 

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01:09 Following this medical form of support is a sequence portraying the heaviness and overwhelming feeling someone with anxiety might experience. The sufferer is trying to get from point A to B but is pulled and heavy burdened by anxious thoughts and constant yelling in the mind. Finally, the sufferer is completely overcome. During this sequence, we see in the background a single strand of anxiety performing a sequence. In runs a companion of the sufferer who recognises anxiety and decides that today is not the day it will prevail. This person acts as a support structure for the sufferer, freeing her from the clutches of anxiety.

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01:23 Progressing further, we have a movement sequence taking a look at some scientific conclusions about those suffering from anxiety and related mental illness (University of Kent). Those with anxiety seem to favour right brain activity thus suppressing the analytical thinking patterns and placing emphasis on emotional behaviour. This is physically seen as anxiety sufferers tend to favour the left by walking in a leftward fashion. The movement of this sequence portrays the favour to one side of the body and the unevenness presented by it. 

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01:37 We move on to the depiction of anxiety as an invisible illness. Not only to the loved ones surrounding a person with anxiety but sometimes even to the anxiety sufferer themselves. Our anxiety portraying characters play a game of hide-and-seek as the sufferer tries to determine what is causing the anxiousness but to no prevail. The sufferer is further accompanied by two anxiety portraying characters who stay just out of view but mimic and make contact with the sufferer, always staying close. 

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01:57 The piece ends with the sufferer turning around and being able for the first time to see the illness plaguing them and to take captive the thoughts and feelings as the first step to healing.