DANZ QUARTERLY Issue No 12
No 12 – July, August September 2008
Women and Honour: Notes on Lying
Clare Luiten and
Cold Harbour Dance
Concert Chamber, Auckland
15 – 17 February
Reviewed by Sue Cheesman
‘Women and Honour: Notes on Lying’ had four creative collaborators including choreographer Clare Luiten. Charlotte Rose produced an atmospheric music score, which enhanced the work admirably, likewise for the pools of light designed by Sean Curran.
Four dancers in this piece included three very differently charactered females, Clare Luiten, Kerryn McMurdo and Tallulah Holly-Massey, all dressed differently in contrast to the egocentric shallow male danced by Matt Gibbons.
An initial image that struck me was the male, on all-fours, transporting a female dancer standing on his back slowly across the upstage, and to my right, down stage, the light exposes another female dancer lying down face up, odd angled. This pose was somewhat unsettling and she maintained it for a considerable time. What lies do these two images portray I asked myself having read the programme note earlier informing me this work is inspired by American writer and poet Adrienne Rich’s 1977 feminist essay ‘Women and Honor: Some notes on Lying’.
I found Clare Luiten’s extended solo interesting to watch, especially how it translated onto her body giving a chiselled sculptural spatial emphasis.
At another point the movement built to a very physical duet, the device of touch and go increased the intensity only to be interrupted by a loud physical slap in sharp contrast to further on in the piece, when a woman is being likened to a Chevy car, 1957 version to be precise, with original upholstery. A classic with original headlights! A car always seems to have a female identity and this one was no exception, still glitzy and in good order!
This piece ended satisfactorily with images of the beginning reccurring. However I did not think this piece delivered overall in terms of depth; there is far more to be mined from this idea than was realised and I hope Clare gains the opportunity to revisit and deepen it.
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