METASYSTEMS
– Choreographed by James Batchelor
POST PHASE:
The Summit is Blue – Choreographed by Chloe Chignell and Timothy Walsh.
Canberra Multicultural Fringe Festival
Canberra Theatre Centre Courtyard Studio until February 15th 2015.
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
Two
interesting new contemporary dance programs are being given their first
Canberra performances in the Canberra Theatre Centre Courtyard Studios. Both
push the boundaries of contemporary dance and both are being presented as part
of the Canberra Multicultural Fringe Festival. They are “METASYSTEMS”,
choreographed by James Batchelor, and “Post Phase: The Summit is Blue”, choreographed
by Chloe Chignell and Timothy Walsh.
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| James Batchelor in METASYSTEMS |
META SYSTEMS
James
Batchelor is rapidly carving out a name for himself as one of Australia’s most
interesting young dance practitioners. His latest work “METASYSTEMS” is receiving its world premiere as part of the
Canberra Multicultural Fringe, and part of the Canberra Museum and Gallery
“Pulse” exhibition. It will also be presented at the Paris Biennale and in the “Australia
in Turkey” Festival in Istanbul later this year.
Inspired by his observations of workers on a
building site, and listing an architect, Anna Tweeddale, among its co-creators,
Batchelor utilises 320 cement bricks and four performers, Emma Batchelor,
Madeline Beckett, Amber McCartney and himself, to create a complex systematic
sculptural construction.
The work is
presented in a bare studio space in harsh white light. The only setting being
two piles of cement bricks arranged neatly at the back of the performance area.
The four performers enter, clad in stylised work gear unified by neat white
sandshoes and beige gardening gloves. They march in unison, the rhythm of their
tramping feet, and the clunking of the bricks as they are constantly stacked
and re-stacked, providing a relentless rhythmic accompaniment.
The
performers are blank-faced through-out, absorbed in the task of arranging and re-arranging
the bricks in precise patterns. From time to time, Batchelor and McCartney
break away to perform dance movements among the patterns. These movements are
deconstructions of movements observed by Batchelor on building sites.
The work
progresses relentlessly until it resolves surprisingly and beautifully in a
tableau with the four performers nestled in foetal position among four
interlocking cement brick sculptures.
“METASYSTEMS”
is an extraordinarily interesting and ultimately beautiful work which will
reward further viewing. It is notable for its originality and complexity, and
as an exciting demonstration of the maturation of Batchelor’s ability to
present complex ideas in accessible dance form.
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| Chloe Chignell in POST PHASE |
POSTE PHASE
–The Summit is Blue
Chloe
Chignell is a Canberra dancer who is also an emerging choreographer engaged in
exploring abstract themes. Her work, “POST PHASE – The Summit is Blue”,
explores ideas of failure,” using the metaphor of scaling an ice-capped
mountain to explore the changing relationship between beauty and physical
endurance”.
The work is presented
in two parts. The first part, sub-titled “The sublime attends to gravity”, choreographed and danced by Chignell,
commences with the dancer prone on the floor in front of a large pile of
melting ice positioned in front of a suspended clear plastic cloth.
In subdued
lighting, and to a gentle soundscape by Brian Eno, Chignell slowly, very slowly,
moves from the floor and commences to perform a meticulous series of repetitive
dance phrases. These phrases eventually become more urgent and less meticulous
as the dancer tires, until eventually she stops.
The second
section “The endless motion of the motionless man”, choreographed by Timothy
Walsh to a soundscape by Steve Reich, is performed by two dancers, Chignell and
Amber McCartney. This section commences
with both performers in underwear sitting motionless, on either side of the
melting ice. Each clasps a large block of ice to their exposed skin and when
they could bear the cold no longer, they put down the ice, donned tracksuits
and performed a series of jetes in unison, over wooden rods laid out on the
floor. Then, in a movement reminiscent of whirling dervishes, they twirled
until overcome by giddiness, and finally picked up large white sheets to fling around
the stage, before finally succumbing to exhaustion.
According to
the program notes, the purpose of all this was to test the dancer’s limits and
push their endurance to extremes, questioning what is possible. While it no
doubt did this, it also made rather uncomfortable viewing for those audience
members who may have been concerned about the dancer’s welfare.
Common to
both programs were excellent performances by all participants, but particularly
from Amber McCartney who was striking presence in both programs. Both programs
showed evidence of having been meticulously rehearsed with attention to good
production values. Both are recommended to anyone interested in experiencing
new directions in contemporary dance. 