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| Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggall in "Opal Vapour" |
By Jade Dewi
Tyas Tunggal in collaboration with Paula van Beek and Ria Soemardjo
Street
Theatre, June 14th and 15th.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
In a recent
radio interview Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal stated that "Opal Vapour" was inspired by
her interest in water conservation, the colour of the opal stone as a metaphor
for the rainbow, and her wish to explore the evolution of the Javanese Wayang
Kulit (shadow puppet theatre).
While these
inspirations may not be easily recognisable, what has emerged is an intriguing fusion
of traditional and contemporary skills and sensibilities to produce a
beautifully paced, satisfying and graceful dance work for which the viewer does
not require any knowledge of Javanese culture to quickly fall under the spell
of this exquisitely conceived and performed presentation.
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| Ria Soemardjo (foreground) Jade Dewis Tyas Tunggal (background) |
It begins
with a ritualistic opening sequence, to the sound of tinkling bells and softly
sung incantations, in which textured fabrics are slowly removed, one after
another, from what appeared to be a pile of fishnets to reveal a dancer lying
on a raised sun-lit dais. The dancer performs her graceful dance on the dais during
which she kicks sand into the air at various intervals. She then draws
batik-like patterns in the sand, which are videoed from above and projected on
to a screen behind her. Later she lies on the dais, now lit from underneath
with a soft blue/green light. The resulting graceful videoed images suggest an
underwater scene performed by a beautiful shadow puppet mermaid. Finally in
full view of the audience she changes her robes to perform her final dance.
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| Jade Dewi Tyas Tungal in "Opal Vapour: |
Jade Dewi
Tyas Tunggal is a mesmerising performer. She understands the power of stillness and
ritual. Her training in classical Javanese dance, with its graceful use of
arms, hands, fingers and eyes, and her strong contemporary dance technique,
allow her to bring a unique perspective to her performance which is both
fascinating and satisfying.
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| Ria Soemardjo in "Opal Vapour" |
Integral to
the work is the graceful presence and performance of Ria Soemardjo, who acts as
a kind of handmaiden to the dancer, quietly and gracefully providing and
removing garments and props throughout the performance, while also providing the
bewitching sound scape, some of which is recorded and some of she performs live,
as she moves in and out of Paula van Becks moody and dramatic lighting.
“Opal
Vapour” is a gorgeous creation which provides a deeply satisfying, almost
hypnotic experience for the viewer. A totally unique concept which is superbly
executed by both the performers who bring to it unique and complementary
skills, enhanced by superbly realised lighting and sound design to a creation
which is as beautiful as it is intriguing and entertaining.
