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 8th-11th of August.
Click here for more
details:http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au/performance.asp?pID=1789
