QL2
Theatre 3
Season closed
Reviewed by Samara Purnell
What is power? Is it
physical strength? Rising to leadership, either forced or elected? Is
it superpowers or just the determination to follow your own path? Or
is it the ability, with unity, to change society, mindsets, or the
world…?
This production was
primarily for less experienced dancers and performers, not that that
was evident by the professionalism and quality of the show and all
the dancers justifiably exuded confidence, especially the youngest
members of the group!
Small groups formed
vignettes about the stage, moving to create a primal, primitive
feeling to open the show, with the beginning of various portrayals of
“Power”. The first of seven pieces, performed as one continuous
act, was choreographed by QL2’s Artistic Director, Ruth Osborne, as
was the finale. The physicality of “Power”, including balancing
and lifts, begins to acquaint the dancers with the intimacy and
physical demands of dance and of the team work required.
The first of
choreographer Olivia Fyfe’s works, saw most of the younger
performers depicting the literal portrayal of strength: gym training,
weightlifting, body building. The slim arms of the youngsters tensed
in body sculpting poses entertained the audience. The performers
really got into the characterisations and spirit of the piece and it
was most enjoyable to watch.
Fyfe and Alana
Stenning also created “I Rule” - a slickly presented story about
a princess in her fairytale. The girls, all in pink tops and braids,
took turns sharing the tiara and playing the princess, in clever,
seamless transitions. The ensemble formed various “scenery”
including the castle and the forest. This riotously funny piece had a
balletic base to the dance and the choreographers organised the large
number of dancers on stage very well. The girls, dissatisfied with
the princess’ “happily ever after” challenged the script and
preceded with their own ending. It was, perhaps intentionally,
ambiguous but then not as punchy an ending as it could have been.
It is a truth
universally acknowledged, that a single man (or indeed any person)
who wears their undies
on the outside of their pants automatically qualifies for superhero
status. Stenning’s “And I’m...” was a noisy, fun piece on
identity, that created a verbal and physical level playing field for
everyone – be it Wonder Woman, Spiderman, a Hollie, Ollie or Zoe.
Steve Gow’s
“Uprising” was skilfully executed by his group of dancers. Using
two tall boxes, dancers fell, jumped, were pulled and lifted on and
off them. In this fluid, intense display of what was surely a
political commentary on leadership and conflict, many topics came to
mind: the revolving door of Australian PM’s and the conflicts in
the Middle East. Sporting striking costumes of denim tops, bustiers
and black pants, the dancers stood, pillar-like, staggered across the
stage as others ran at them, gracefully sliding down the stoic
“pillars”, or being cast aside unemotionally. This called to mind
Donald Trump’s wall and sure enough, the dancers moved into a
straight line, in an impenetrable human wall. The routine, set to a
“Trainspotting-esque” soundtrack, looked like a battlefield in
its conclusion, with bodies strewn across the floor. Gow’s piece
had both dynamic pace and nuance. The trust and timing between the
dancers was polished and the whole routine was executed superbly –
a highlight of the night.
Usually there is an
all-male piece included in the QL2 shows. Given there was an
all-girls piece, it was interesting to note that Gow’s second
piece, “Canis Canem Edit” (Dog eats dog) wasn’t an all-boys
routine, in fact, there wasn’t one. This routine didn’t have the
same impact as Gow’s previous piece and was more ambiguous, more of
a showcase for some individual manoeuvres.
All the contributors
to this production of “Power” should be proud of the polished and
entertaining show they have put on. Perhaps it is the power of dance
and performance, after all, to unite, excite and change the world,
one step at a time.
