Expressions
Dance company
Q –
Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre - 14th
May 2013.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
Perhaps it
was the lure of seeing another version of “Romeo and Juliet”, but dance
enthusiasts, including an impressive number of young dancers, flocked to the Queanbeyan Performing Arts
Centre to see the only performance in the Canberra region of renowned
contemporary dance choreographer Natalie Weir’s multi- award winning dance work,
“R & J”.
In this
witty re-interpretation of the familiar story, Weir offers us not one, but three
versions of the story, built on just six dancers augmented with a stage-full of
young local dancers for the arresting opening sequence. The three sequences are
set in different eras, and each concentrates on a different aspect of the story.
The first
sequence, “Passion”, is set in a contemporary modern nightspot. The young
couple, (Elise May and ex-Quantum Leap dancer, Jack Ziesing), meet on a crowded
dance floor and fall in love. Their ecstatic pas de deux is interrupted by a
stranger, (Thomas Gunry Greenfield) who emerges from a phone box to intrude on
their reverie. During the inevitable altercation which follows, the girl is
killed.
The second
sequence, “Romance” , costumed to suggest the more traditional medieval
setting, begins with both the girl and the boy (Michelle Barnett and Benjamin
Chapman) being lifted, doll-like, from
pedestals by members of their families who try unsuccessfully to keep them
apart. Eventually, after a long tender pas de deux, both end up in a glass
coffin.
The final
sequence “Devotion”, set in the 1950’s, commences with the young couple, (Riannon
McLean and Jack Zeizing) blissfully sharing a couch. They tease each other
playfully while watching television. In an ingeniously choreographed section,
we see their departing rituals as he heads off to work, then returns at the end
of the day. These rituals are repeated
in quick succession until, inexplicably, he doesn’t turn up as before.
Realising that he is not going to return, the girl (McLean) dances a gorgeous, intricate
and melancholy solo utilising the couch
almost as if it were her missing lover.
Throughout
the work, the reference points are crystal clear and although one viewing is
hardly enough to fully register and absorb Natalie Weir’s complex, inventive choreography.
But with its characteristic intricate interweaving of the dancers bodies, spectacular
brilliantly resolved lifts, and strongly delineated characterisations, “R &
J” is totally absorbing and engaging.
Weir has gathered
together a troupe of brilliant dancers, each perfectly in tune with her
signature style and able to interpret her choreography to perfection.
Their
brilliant dancing is enhanced by the imaginative set designs of Bruce McKinven,
featuring a series of sculptural elements, ingeniously lit by David Walters,
which seamlessly and satisfyingly transport the viewer through different
situations and time zones, while the rich, musical soundscape, composed by John
Babbage and recorded by Brisbane ensemble, Topology, provides a glorious cocoon
of warm aural colours perfectly in tune with the mood and intent of this
challenging and lovely work.
It is this perfect fusion of disparate
elements which makes watching a performance of “R & J “such a compelling
and satisfying experience.
