FROM FEELING FOND TO TOTAL TEDIUM |
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) In Living Memory: The Solo Quartet Project Directed by Juliet Shelley and Andrew Marcus at BATS, Wellington From 4 Sep 2008 to 6 Sep 2008 Reviewed by Lyne Pringle, 6 Sep 2008 |
The first section of this performance is palatable but the second section is diabolically boring!
Juliet Shelley has choreographed a dance in three movements which features dancers Heidi Vit, Jessica Devereux, Melissa Jones and Patricia Wood, all of whom interestingly are Australian and recent graduates from schools there. They move quietly with an internally reflective demeanour.
Twirling arm driven sequences to pleasant chiming music by Nick Van Dijk define the first movement. The second movement has music by John Dowland performed live by van Dijk, Pepe Becker and Fiona Smythe and the third music by Frescobaldi. A lack of programme notes leaves us to make of it what we will.
There is good technique from all the dancers as they perform po faced in the spaces around each other. There are some pleasant choreographic moments but it is difficult to ascertain the relationships that are being drawn; they are lovely girls in a pure dance flick, grab, hug, swirl around playground that needs more definition. At times the space is left blank and I find myself sinking into a quieter place because of the pace of this work - this was quite welcome.
In one section a dancer's arms fall around her like leaves and the music wraps the whole exquisitely. Sometimes it is as if the dancers view us with disdain, again it is hard to read their expression or purpose as fingers press skin behind the back for a moment. I wonder what does the body remember in these cool self-contained beings and by the end of the work I have grown fond of them.
The core of the work is not clear but there are some interesting choreographic ideas here. Does it need a theatrical frame to hold it? Do we need more of a way into the dancers, where are they in the movement; how do they feel about it? Juliet Shelley has taken the opportunity to sit outside of her work in this project and the perspective must be revealing for her.
Debbie McGuire lights the performance with skill providing some relief in the next work, Surface to the Touch by Andrew Marcus which emerges out of contemplative darkness and sound on the edge of hearing.
The pace and texture of this work is slow and flat. Accompanied by voice (Pepe Becker) and mute trumpet (Nick van Dijk) there is a moment where I feel dropped into an 80's happening with a man writhing, a woman wailing and a trumpet sputtering - improvised mish mash. The most interesting thing for me is the presence of various lighting states begging to be entered and at one point a tiny winged creature (a resident BATS moth I suspect) moving briefly towards the light.
The performance finished with Love, After Noon an improvisation for the dancers in the first work choreographically conceptualised by Marcus ... z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z ...!
Somebody wake me up when there is a structure offered that will yield some dance worthy of putting into a theatre. What a shame these dancers were so restrained, I suspect if they were given permission to take initiative within the improvisational structure they could really fire and be brilliant. Please leave all the other stuff in the studio - punters are paying for this!!!
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