Sunday, November 22, 2015

HOT TO TROT



QL2 Dance
QL2 Theatre, Gorman House Arts Centre
21 and 22 November 2015

Review by Len Power 21 November 2015

QL2 Dance’s annual ‘Hot To Trot’ is a great opportunity to see the work of company members stepping up into the role of choreographer.  The imagination displayed by these young people and their ability to realize it in terms of dance is quite exhilarating.  Every item in the program was enjoyable and well done.  The following works had the most impact.

‘Blink’, a dance video by Nassim Patel was quite startling.  The choreography was in the editing of the film and was very well done.  It showed how powerful this medium can be.

Also impressive was ‘8.81 metres per second’, a science inspired work about gravity and its impact.  Choreographed by Caspar Ilschner and Jack Clements, it was very well danced and the use of coloured balls in this work was especially imaginative.  The well-chosen musical accompaniment enhanced the overall theme.

A second science related piece also worked very well. ‘Snowflakes’ by Walter Wolffs explored the mathematical phenomenon known as fractals.  Again, the use of props – rope and expanding balls – added an extra dimension to this energetic and nicely danced item.

Jason Pearce’s ‘What are you waiting for?’ was especially notable for his use of detailed hand movements.  It was graceful with a controlled energy and great co-ordination between the dancers.

Caroline De Wan’s ‘Something that’s not’ looked at the altered state of consciousness that is the meditative state of mind.  This was very well choreographed, bringing out the theme clearly.  It looked good visually with nice groupings of dancers and an especially good use of lighting to enhance the atmosphere.

The outstanding item of the program was ‘Ember’, co-choreographed and performed by Ruby Ballantyne and Milly Vanzwol.  It looked at different ways light can refract, reflect and absorb and how that corresponds with human relations.  Dreamlike in its execution, the two dancers worked very well together in this imaginative piece.  It was accompanied by a fine choice of music and lighting effects.

In some items more care could have been used with the music, especially when transitioning from one section of the dance to another.  Abruptly stopping the music at the end of a section pulls the audience member out of the mood of the piece.

Overall, this was a very entertaining evening of dance.  The enthusiasm, skill and imagination of these young dancers and choreographers is always a pleasure to see.

Len Power’s reviews can also be heard on Artsound FM’s ‘Artcetera’ program from 9am Saturdays.