INSPIRING EVENING OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE |
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) Footnote Forte Solo Series 09 Choreographers: Sarah Foster, Kristian Larsen, Michael Parmenter, Malia Johnston, Maria Dabrowska Footnote Dance Directed by Deirdre Tarrant at from City Art Rooms to Cassette9 on Vulcan Lane, Auckland From 12 Oct 2009 to 13 Oct 2009 Reviewed by David Zeitner-Smith, 13 Oct 2009 |
At first I didn't know what to expect on this sunny early evening in Auckland. Footnote Dance was going to present its 2009 Solo Series at this year's Tempo Festival of Dance at the City Art Rooms and Cassette 9. Both venues are located in the heart of central Auckland and promised to be exciting sites to watch the company's latest productions.
First up in the well filled City Art Rooms was Michael Parmenter's Somebody's Darling. The creation is inspired by the grave of an unknown person buried in Central Otago, a poignant landmark in Parmenter's home region. Douglas Lilburn's score 'Elegy' in combination with poems by Alistair Te Ariki Campbell help to translate the choreographer's inspiration, well performed by Francis Christeller. Parmenter's choreography is a very personal account of emotions that may perhaps can only be told through dance.
Kristian Larsen's ADZE is a homage to the well respected New Zealand artist Phil Dadson. Larsen's playful and intense choreography is layered with a great variety of choreographic ideas and tools he utilises to touch and entertain the audience at the same time. Joshua Rutter's composition 'Klapless' is complimenting and the stunning and strong performer Claire Lissaman left no stone unturned to capture the audiences' attention. This is Larsen's debut choreography for Footnote Dance. Hopefully more will follow.
Firecracker by Sarah Foster was the third and last piece we were getting to watch at the Gallery space. This creation is a homage to New Zealand born Ladyhawke, who recently won the New Zealand Music Award. Foster intended to create a "cathartic onslaught of movement" with Firecracker. Though Anita Hunziker performed the work with energy and great ability, the choreography lacks creative structure. A greater variety of vigorous movement ideas might have set the house on fire.
After Firecracker the audience was led to Cassette 9, a beautifully decorated Bar in Auckland's Vulcan Lane. The short walk gave the audience the chance to mingle with some of the company's dancers and was a welcome little break to digest the works of Parmenter, Larsen and Foster.
Maria Debrowska's sexy and daring choreography Stark closed the evening of contemporary dance. The beautiful performance by Sarah Knox to music by Eden Mulholland leaves me hungry to see more of this company in the future.
Deirdre Tarrant's idea to present Footnote Dance in various venues within on performance is great and might be a way to draw more, and perhaps new, audiences to dance in New Zealand. Footnote's Solo Serious is an inspiring evening of contemporary dance. I will be back for more.
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