Presented by
QL2 Dance
QL2 Theatre,
Gorman Arts Centre
November 21st and 22nd 2015
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
“Hot to Trot”
is an annual showcase of new works created by Quantum Leap dancers, for which selected
dancers with choreographic ambitions are each provided with the facilities and
support necessary to create and produce a contemporary dance work which is then
given two performances before a paying audience. The choreographers must choose
and train their dancers, source costumes and music, consider lighting design,
write program notes and schedule their rehearsals so that their work is
delivered on time. After each
performance opportunity is provided for audience members to comment and
question the choreographers and dancers about the works presented.
Although a
polished product is expected, and the choreographic choices and execution is
limited by the ability and experience of the young participants, it’s the
process that is important, and the results are often startling in their
originality and sophistication.
This year
the choreographers were inspired by some unlikely topics like atomic forces, fractals,
meditation and the refraction of light. How well their works realised these
inspirations provided a fascinating program of 10 original dance works.
Among the
more successful was a delightful duet called “Ember” danced by the creators,
Ruby Ballantyne and Milly Vanzwol, which attempted to explore in dance
terms, the different ways light refracts,
reflects and absorbs.
An
eye-catching dancer, Ballantyne appeared again with Caspar Ilschner and Nasim
Patel, in a cheerful little piece by Jason Pearce called “What are You Waiting
For” which explored how people move and react while waiting, and in perhaps the
most original work of the evening, “9.81 metres per second” choreographed by
Ilschner and Jack Clements inspired by contrasting aspects of gravity.
Ursula
Taylor composed her own soundscape to accompany her work “Feeding line” for
which she used a large wooden cube to explore the interactions of individuals.
Walter Wolffs incorporated ropes, plastic toys and silver balls for his playful
piece, “Snowflakes” which focussed on the mathematical phenomenon of fractals.
Abstract projections featured in Caroline De Wan’s interesting piece,
“Something That’s Not” exploring altered states of consciousness, a topic also
explored by Ayla Scholtz with her cleverly fragmented work “Mind over Matter”.
Elyse
Lenehan tackled self- image for her work for three dancers, “The Norm?”, while
Nasim Patel rounded out the program with his ambitious work “Recess” for which
he worked with six dancers to create a playful work focussed on memories of
childhood.
Lighting, costume
and music choices for each of the works were intelligent and appropriate, and
given the limited time available to each choreographer to prepare and rehearse
their piece, the standard reached in the execution of the works was impressive.
This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 23.11.15
