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| Chloe McDonald and Gretel Burgess in "A Stroke of Luck" |
Created, Produced, Directed and Choreographed by Gretel Burgess -
Sound Design by Den Hanrehan – Reuben Ingall – Rob Kennedy
Performed by
Gretel Burgess and Chloe McDougall
QL2 Dance
Theatre 24 – 26th February 2023.
Matinee
performance on 25th February reviewed by Bill Stephens.
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| Chloe McDougal and Gretel Burgess in "A Stroke of luck" |
In 14th
September 2014, at the age of 42, Gretel Burgess, an enthusiastic dance practitioner,
was struck down by a catastrophic stroke while on a camping holiday with her
family in the Daintree Rainforest. Her daughter, Chloe, also a dancer, was just
8 years old at the time and witnessed the event.
Gretel’s road
to physical, mental and emotional recovery has been long and arduous. A curious
liability of her stroke has been that she has become an impulse shopper, scouring
the internet and purchasing unwanted garments, even booking family holidays, on
whim.
However
rather than going down the path of self-pity, Burgess has channelled her energy
into creating this enthralling dance work which she performs with her daughter
Chloe, charting her experience as well as exploring the causal factors of
stroke.
During her research she discovered that fear and anxiety actually affects the blood and that screams literally do curdle our blood. Recalling episodes of workplace bullying leading up to her stroke, Burgess uses this knowledge as the catalyst for her work which is presented in three sections, without interval.
The first
section, “Coagulation”, begins in a setting crowded by piles of large files and
racks of clothing. The colour red figures prominently in this scene in both the
lighting and the costuming. A figure in a red dress (Chloe) slowly pushes a loaded
shopping trolley around the tightly lit space. While she’s performing this task,
Burgess emerges unexpectedly from the onstage pile of files and begins to mechanically
sort and pack them.
Eventually
she becomes annoyed and frustrated with her efforts until a tiny finger-puppet
with a red umbrella calmly traverses the files leading her to the trolley into
which she climbs and they swirl deliriously around the stage.
For the
second section, “Diversion”, both performers are costumed in apple-green. Chloe
sits on a seat slowly eating an ice-cream. A flash of lightning signifies the
catastrophic event, and while her mother lies powerless on the floor unable to
communicate her situation, Chloe sits frozen on the seat seemingly unable to
comprehend her mother’s predicament.
Throughout
the work Burgess draws upon an eclectic choreographic repertoire to tell her
story. She also makes extensive use of props and spoken word, including an
excerpt from a speech given in Parliament by Federal MP, Hon.Warren Entsch
quoting statistics regarding the prevalence of stroke in Australia. Family
photographs and a selection of carefully chosen background music provide context
and ambience.
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| Chloe McDonald and Gretel Burgess in "A Stroke of Luck" |
Green apples
feature prominently in the final section, “Liability”, which depicts some of the after-effects of Burgess’s
stroke. She doesn’t shy away from the frustrations inherent in her long
recovery journey, or the effect this had on those close to her, particularly
Chloe.
Events involving
a single green apple which attracted the attention of the New Zealand
Biosecurity Agents, and her proclivity towards impulse buying, are depicted
frankly and amusingly in sequences that are light-hearted, moving and optimistic.
Central to the success of the work is the superb performance by Chloe McDougal, a gifted young dancer with a rare talent for stillness and authenticity.
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| Chloe McDougal and Gretel Burgess in "A Stroke of Luck". |
Despite the
seriousness of the subject matter which is depicted clearly and unflinchingly,
the audience is not left focussing on the events that led to the creation of
this work, or even to wonder at the strength and resilience of Burgess herself,
but rather, uplifted and thoroughly moved by the delicate and unsentimental depiction
of the loving bond between this remarkable mother and daughter.
This is an
extraordinary work which deserves to be seen by a wide audience. With a running
time of slightly less than an hour, and with its excellent performance and production
values, “A Stroke of Luck” would make a stunning keynote event for a major health
conference.
Images by Andrew Sikorski
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au
