Against Nature: a rustic descent into madness
20May 2019.

Citadel + Compagnie proudly presents the hotly anticipated return of Against Nature, May 22–25 and May 29–June 1, 2019 at the Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance. Choreographed and directed by James Kudelka, this unique dance-opera-theatre hybrid adapts French-Dutch author Joris-Karl Huysman’s 1884 novel of bourgeois excess, À Rebours (Against Nature). This powerful work is replete with rich visuals, fluid choreography that supports and strengthens the story, and a nuanced score that is hauntingly mysterious. 

I spoke to cast member Korin Thomas-Smith by phone. “I am primarily a singer, an undergrad doing my masters in opera. My role is to be supportive of the main dancer, who is fabulous, but I am not of her calibre. I call what I do not dancing, more just moving. I had no approach to dance until about a month ago. For me it was about learning when to breathe, and learning when to dance.”

Thrust into a world of dance theatre, young Korin must understand the protagonist’s dilemma. “It chronicles the descent of a man into madness, all set within a rustic time period in the French countryside. It’s organized chaos to a certain extent, but the dance and the music bring the elements together.” 

I start blabbing about things like Bunuel’s Diary of a Chambermaid and the novels of Marquis de Sade, but Korin wisely sidesteps these arcane references. He’s still engrossed in the themes found in Against Nature.
“It’s about childhood trauma and sexual abuse, our own mortality, and so many other themes of the human condition, that it is both difficult to absorb and to produce. The relationships between the characters are really complex.” 

I get it. The press release uses words like “allegedly,” “appalled,” “sensuous,” “moody,” “reclusive.” Against Nature is a challenging work, an indictment that also shows us what it expects us to be appalled by. Sounds like a lot of fun.