Choreographed
by Alison Plevey, Steve Gow and Jack Riley
Lighting by
Kelly McGannon
Costumes by Alison
Plevey, Amelie Langevin, Olivia Fyffe
Presented by
QL2 Dance – Theatre 3, 13th and 14th October 2017
Matinee
performance on 14th October reviewed by Bill Stephens
 |
| "Square Peg" choreographed by Alison Plevey. |
The first of
three annual showcase programs presented by QL2 Dance, the “Chaos” project focusses
on the work of entry point dancers. “Hot
to Trot” ( 25/26 Nov.) shows the work of young choreographers who have
participated in the Quantum Leap program, while
“On Course” (16/17 Dec.) provides the opportunity for former Quantum
Leap participants who have since become university dance students to
demonstrate their progress.
Each program
has its particular point of interest and this year, 47 dancers of varying
abilities have participated in the “Chaos” project under the banner of “Not
Like The Others”. Created by three professional choreographers, all of whom
have been through the QL2 process, “Not Like The Others” consisted of seven
sections, presented in a continuous performance lasting just on an hour.
This testing
program which concentrates on ensemble work allows the young dancers, whose
ages range from 8 to 18 years, to demonstrate
the skills they’ve learned to allow them to cope with choreography, costume
changes, and the myriad other performance skills necessary to participate in a large-scale dance work.
For the
choreographers, there’s a challenge to devise an interesting and cohesive program
of dance which will embrace the varying abilities of the dancers, and inspire
them to contribute and develop as both choreographers and performers.
This year
the choreographer’s, Alison Plevey, Steve Gow and Jack Riley sought active
collaboration with their dancers to explore themes of diversity, minority and
difference. These themes were firmly imprinted in Plevey’s dramatic opening in
which, one by one, performers took the stage to stand in their own individual
spotlight.
Costumed in
multi-coloured tops and black pants the dancers performed a series of unison
manoeuvres, before settling in groups around board games to explore and
verbalise special differences like “I can whistle through my teeth” or “I have
one sister”.
 |
| "Virtual Identity" choreographed by Steve Gow |
White masks,
ultra-violent light and black costumes created an eerie effect for Steve Gow’s
imaginative exploration of identity, while Jack Riley incorporated carefully
manipulated wooden rods to great effect in a section entitled “Allone”.
Costumes
throughout were appropriate and well chosen, as was the imaginative lighting
and inspiring music tracks. All the works were determinedly ensemble pieces,
with sometimes spectacular effects resulting from impressively resolved and
performed group movement. Although there were no featured solos, there was
space in each work for the dancers to incorporate their own favourite moves.
Some works featured partnering and lifting and all demanded complete
concentration from the youthful participants. The quality and accuracy of the unison
movement spoke volumes about the amount of time and effort that had been
expended on perfecting each section, and reflected credit on both dancers and
choreographers.
 |
| "Allone" choreographed by Jack Riley |
The smiles
on the faces of the young dancers as they took their cleverly devised bows,
said it all. They had proved that in helping devise and perform this demanding
and entertaining program they were certainly “Not Like The Others”.
Photos by Lorna Sim
