On Sunday, February the 2nd, we were promised a Gala event of Dance at the New Theatre in Newtown. I attended the 7.30pm showing and was happy to be watching the grand finals of Short and Sweet Dance. The 14 presentations of dance talent, mime, inspired choreography, precision timing and often abstract musicality, were engaging, puzzling, humourous, witty, relevant and emotionally connecting. Well done, I say, to all the participants, mentors and organisational and technical support. You pulled off a great night of entertainment and gave the audience food for thought.
I enjoyed Joseph Simon’s work in “Familiar Strangers”, as did the audience. He connected with us by using his muscle tone to express an artistic message about Celebrity.
“And Then Patterns” was an interesting piece which was well rehearsed. The four dancers, Georgia, George, Ivey and Michael, communicated well with each other in an expressive way, which gave us a well-integrated piece of dance/movement.
Jay Bailey and L.C Beats collaborated well in an enjoyable, playful performance about birds. Their beat-boxing provided rhythmic expression of emotion and heartbeat, in some sections, while at other times, there were witty, amusingly clever representations of some of ballet’s more recognisable icons. The audience responded well to the tongue-in-cheek mockery as well as the highly skilled ballet moves.
“No Fungus, No Tree” began slowly but subtly and clearly developed to show why Sean Marcus and Anna Healey were worth co-recipients of the Choreography Award at this year’s Gala. Both performances reached an expression of symbiotic movement through rhythm and balance which received much appreciation from the audience.
The four dancers of “Nyunga” drew on contemporary ballet skills with an urban edge, which affords an audience a wider perspective. Indigenous dance forms connected with storytelling in an abstract way, rather than a heavily traditional way. The cyclical synchronised moves worked well with the lighting to convey the dancer’s insights and appreciation of all the sun means in our world. Well done to Thomas E.S Kelly and his co-dancers, Taree, Caleena and Phil, for an enjoyable performance.
Harrison Hall, winner of the Outstanding Male Dancer Award, certainly showed us how powerful energy can be represented in a concept piece with remarkable skill. His work was unique, yet referenced modern forms, as he communicated his ideas on light, shadow and darkness in a precision piece. He took over the theatre space in a controlled representation, conveyed by muscle tension, arm movement, lighting and a clown costume. The audience too, were gripped in the tension he created; a formidable talent was exhibited here.
“Sink or Swim” was a fun piece to end the first half of the program. There were four mermaids who became a dance chorus line and, a young woman involved in a cathartic display. This amused the sometimes stunned and often confused audience. Many people appreciated the dramatic mime techniques and hilarity acted out. This piece showed creative and innovative uses of props and costuming.
