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| Bangarra dancers perform "Illume" |
Choreographed by Frances Rings – Artistic & Cultural Collaborator: Darrell Sibosado
Set
Designed by Charles Davis – Costumes designed by Elizabeth Gadsby
Lighting
designed by Damien Cooper – Video Designed by Craig Wilkinson
Composed
by Brendon Boney – Stage Manager: Ashleigh King.
Canberra
Theatre July 25 & 26, 2025.
Opening
night performance reviewed by BILL STEPHENS
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| Lillian Banks and the Bangarra Dancers |
Collaborating
with a visual artist for the first time, Bangarra Dance Theatre with Illume
has produced arguably its most visually beautiful Bangarra production to date.
Listed as
the production’s Artistic and Cultural Collaborator, Darrell Sibosado is a
Goolarrgon Bard man from Lombadina, Western Australia. An artisan who works
with mother-of- pearl, Sibosado has particular interest in the possibilities of
art as a medium for transitioning intergenerational and age-old cultural
practices and languages into contemporary life.
As the
name suggests Illume is concerned with light as a central component of the
belief system of the Bard-Bardi Jawi people and features prominently in their creation
stories.
The work
commences in darkness. Stars slowly begin to appear until the entire stage is
filled with a beautiful starscape representing an enveloping constellation. Shadowy
figures dart mysteriously among the stars until the entire ensemble are
revealed and for the next 70 minutes perform an unbroken series of striking abstract
sequences illustrating the history of Sibosado’s ancestors.
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| Bangarra Dancers in "Illume" |
On opening
night, the performance commenced 20 minutes late, and while informative programs
were distributed among the audience as they entered the theatre, there was
little time to study the detail. But even without understanding the cultural
significance of much of the choreography and iconography it was still possible
to appreciate the beauty of the physical movement and presentation.
Set
designer Charles Davis, whose designs for Opera Australia’s Rusalka are currently
mesmerising audiences at the Sydney Opera House, has designed a striking, constantly
evolving abstract dreamworld that emerges from and retreats into a smoky
infinity.
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| Bangarra Dancers in "Illume" |
Embracing the symbolism imbedded in Sibosado’s
actual artworks together with elements of fire, water, shells, the stunning
lighting design by Damien Cooper, and exceptional video imagery of Craig
Wilkinson, Davis constantly creates extraordinary environments to support the
storytelling by the dancers.
Emphasising
the communal nature of the Bard-Bardi Jawi people, most of the dances
choreographed for Illume by Frances Rings are group dances, with
occasional soloists featured briefly.
Elizabeth
Gadsby’s costumes, while making no pretence of historical accuracy, not only
enhanced the dancers’ movements, but also provided a theatrically timeless look
appropriate to the intent of the production and were both imaginative and
satisfying.
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| Bangarra dancers in "Illume" |
Interestingly,
Brendon Bony’s music had a more contemporary sound to it than usually
association with Bangarra Dance Theatre’s productions but complimented the
feeling of timelessness engendered by the visual beauty of the production.
With Illume,
Frances Rings, her dancers and collaborators have created an epic work of considerable
beauty to portray the journey of the Bard-Bardi Jawi people. The cultural
references may be more sophisticated and less accessible than previous, but there
is much which stays in the memory, especially the joyful, broad, sweeping group
choreography of the Mother of Pearl reprise that ends the evening.
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| Lillian Banks - Janaya Lamb - James Boyd. |
Images by Daniel Boud
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au
