DANZ QUARTERLY No 10 December 2007

Reviews

The Body, Festival of dance and physical theatre
Christchurch
September - October 2007
Reviewed by Anna Chapman

'Itchy Feet' by Java Dance Company was an intimate work that looked at dance in enclosed spaces – both physical and emotional.  The three characters shared fleeting interactions, as individuals and together, in beautifully choreographed sequences that connected to one another.  Lauren (Roseanne Christie) worked in expansive fluid movements to define her world, while Anna (Emma Johnston), working in a tea shop, danced within the confines of her world - the space behind the counter.  The demanding choreography struggled with the parameters of her working world, fighting to expand beyond it. The interactions between Greg (Jade Daniels) and both women were intimate and compelling.  With his partner he moved in comfortable, familiar intimacy, together but not always in contact.  With Lauren, their relationship (infidelity?) was expressed in fleeting touches of tentative intimacy, in what was for me the most compelling pas de deux of the show.  The set was compact and the choreography worked beautifully within it, working in, on, around and behind the spaces defined on stage. 

In “Aoraki”, developed during a Wild Creations residency at Aoraki/Mt Cook, choreographer Louise Potiki-Bryant has focused on the habitat and traits of one of the characters of the South Island alpine landscape – the kea.  The space was intimate, and clearly integral to “Aoraki”,  the set was constructed from the resources of the Aoraki/Mt Cook environment.  The audience was invited to view the installation separately from the performance.  The performance began with a short film shot at Aoraki.  Dancing in the outdoors amidst the changing faces of Aoraki, the choreography is organic and introduces the kea, a native of the South Island alpine regions.  Clad in olive green, with the characteristic flash of vibrant red, Bryant captured many of the distinctive characteristics of the kea – the darting all encompassing head movements, the pigeon toed walk and the soaring movement of flight.  Using a bird model, the flight of the kea was shown.

The move from film to dance was seamless. The set was explained in light of the film, and the projection of both background and floor ‘brought the outdoors in’. The choreography from the film was introduced and further developed in the performance.  The proximity of the dance to the audience removed the sense of anonymity for those viewing and connected the audience to the performer.  Bryant didn’t shy away from making eye contact with the audience, and although this could be seen as confrontational, it could also be seen as part of the vocabulary of the kea. The conclusion of the performance saw the movie playing and the two-dimensional danced before us in three dimensions. The piece had a strong sense of integration and completeness.  It was a beautifully conceived and executed performance, grounded securely within te Ao Māori, about Aoraki, an honoured ancestor for Ngai Tahu. It was a privilege to see a contemporary Māori dance performance connected to and grounded in a sacred site.

“After Dürer”, a short film by Daniel Belton, was challenging and intense.  Belton has gained a reputation for his film work, which combines elements of digital media with beautiful choreography.  This film was no different.  Presented in grainy black, grey and white, the dancer interacted with the digital world during the dance.  The choreography had to work within a context and on multiple levels.  A beautiful image that caught my eye was of a dancer, holding an equally divided box like a balloon, floating above him.  The idea of division of space was further explored as the film presented four spaces that were alternately interconnected and discreet.

”Stitchbirds” opened with neon bright lines, seemingly drawn into and through one another, held at times by ‘batons’.  The lines were reminiscent of the divisions of space in “After Dürer”.  Six dancers, strikingly clad in flowing red, worked in, around and under the lines.  Dancing at times, observing at others, the dancers were alternately interconnected and discreet.  The choreography combined strong physicality, fluid extension and connection within the dancers and to the space.  The intricacy of the dance, requiring the dancers to function as both observer and participant, was beautiful.  Working by turns in duets, trios and as an ensemble, the dancers had to perform with strength and grace to keep up the pace.  Once released, the lines hung over the performance, almost acting as a ceiling on the performance, however at times, as in the film, the ceiling was breached by a hand, redefining the limit.

In “Hover” by Scrambled Legs, choreographer Fleur de Thier has produced an interesting piece for the festival.  The dancers emerged from blackness, in shafts of light, showing glimpses of movement and poses.  Hovering in light, between light and darkness, and fleeting interactions were concepts that I drew from this part of the performance.  Using boxes to provide elevation and as a base from which to launch and fall, the set was simple and integral to the performance.  The choreography demanded much of the dancers, requiring speed, strength and attention to detail.  As always, Fleur uses the entire body to communicate her dance.  The pas de deux between Erica Viedma and Paul Young, that was followed by Julia Sadler’s solo, were magnificent examples of speed, grace and fluid engagement. As an exploration of a concept, the piece was at times tentative. However elements of the performance showed the true beauty of dance.

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