Framed

Reviewed by Regina Su

As part of Dance Bites 2012, Framed  is a contemporary dance piece of the highest level with performers Tess de Quincey and Victoria Hunt privileging the audience with their ability to capture the essence to raw emotions. Two women are literally framed at the intersection of visual art, theatre, dance and installation.Their fusion of Japanese BodyWeather influences and Indian Natsayastra take the audience on an abstract and spiritual journey through a series of eight emotional states, depending on the audience to draw heavily on their personal introspection for meaning. The scenic space is very thoughtful stagecraft as the performers make use of a blank stage and a single frame to tell a narrative of what it means to be human through relationships and feelings. This stagecraft allows a focal point, not only demanding a spotlight on the actors, but also a spotlight on the audience, especially as each emotional state is ever so slowly released, thus causing the spectator to look within themselves and compare this visual treatise to their own life experiences.

Due to the ambiguous nature of this performance, it can indeed be said that there can be no one meaning produced and taken by the spectators; this performance is extremely unique, even eclectic in its attempt to portray raw emotions. A post-performance Q&A may reveal the motives behind many of the choices, perhaps aid in collecting one’s thoughts, as through a general discussion, audience members contribute their responses. While the lady beside me felt there was a romantic narrative at play, the combination of sound effects, tempo of movement and gesture, as well as focus on a multiplicity of fragmented emotions, meant that I understood the performance to be a compilation of snapshots, documenting a life. However, the ambiguity of the performance leaves the answer is for you to decide. Don’t miss this show at the Riverside Theatre from the 8^th-11^th of August.

Click here for more details:http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au/performance.asp?pID=1789