Originally used to veil one’s identity from the outside world and add mystery to the wearer, the għonella had all but disappeared halfway through the 20th century.
It was brought back to life in Dorian Mallia’s It-Tfajla tal-Għonnella, a contemporary dance adaptation which offered all the enigmatic magic that the elegant black silk mantilla which was peculiar to the Maltese islands once did.
With fluid movements much unlike the stiff folds of the traditional head piece, Mallia and his team of dancers took the audience on something of a spiritual journey through time, embracing various aspects of the baroque era.
The performance was beautifully divided into four narratives with one act leaping into the other with gazelle-like grace.
I found the yellow, silk-covered, stationary figure which opened the dance performance particularly beautiful, offering an eerie taste and mind-searingly memorable introduction to Mallia’s quasi-ethereal offering.
Indeed, once the it-tfajla tal-għonella herself emerged from her self-imposed cocoon, there was no stopping her butterfly-like performance as she flitted and flirted her way across the stage and the yellow and green embellished market scene into the arms of the man who she would later marry.
The fluid use of the silk bandage cocoon by the dancers who wove their way in and out of the material and the final coming together of the tfajla tal-għonella and her mate (after he had fought off a worthy adversary) were particularly mesmerising.
I really loved the way in which the dancers ended the scene by wrapping the girl and her betrothed in the same material which she had originally stood alone in, providing for a truly symbolic ‘two-become-one’ moment.
The energy of this first market scene and the frenetic movements of the couples that would come together and come apart again contrasted beautifully with the haunting serenity of the marriage scene.
Of particular note was the way in which the first two scenes were divided, with a single dancer cutting a solitary figure walking slowly and almost hypnotically to the front of the stage whilst uniformly swaying an incense burner.
Despite the diversity of the scenes, the production possessed a pleasant fluidity
Equally intriguing was the way in which the all-white wearing dancers appeared gradually on the stage from the back wings to a most poignant Ave Maria sung by the promising Francesco Nicodeme, also dancing in the production.
The light and the slow movements of the cast gave the scene an almost supernatural quality, giving way exquisitely to the feverish madness that was to follow.
Clad in blood red and gyrating madly and confusedly on stage, there was little doubt as to the pain our female lead was experiencing in the third narrative.
As she writhed on the floor in despair, the audience was taken on a symbolically-rich emotional journey the likes of which many must have experienced first-hand during World War II.
Her agony truly was as tangible and apparent as the vivid colour of her costume. The final scene, with its delicate music and suspended costumes from the ceiling was everything that a baroque ball should be; the costumes were rich and the dancers coquettish in their every move.
Despite the diversity of the scenes, the production possessed a pleasant fluidity, tying different elements together, while making use of the għonella as an evident fil rouge motif running through all four scenarios to dramatic and flowing effect by the dancers as they told a very Maltese story.
Also laudable was the evident research carried out at production stage by Mallia, taking his concept beyond mere dance performance; this was apparent in the luscious costumes by Doris Mallia and Dorothy Castillo, as well as in the way in which Maltese traditions common in bygone eras were in-troduced into a contemporary dance context.
Unlike some other contemporary productions, the performance was fast-paced and not exceedingly long, making use instead of separate narratives which were succinct.
The fact that it didn’t lag certainly contributed greatly to its lightness.
The only negative aspect to this performance was the half-empty Manoel Theatre on opening night, a sure sign of the Maltese public’s disinterest in events which are not immediately attributable to the popular culture genre.
The performance promised to be a holistic experience and this it definitely delivered. I’ll most certainly be attending your next show Mr Mallia.