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| "Fly by the seat of my pants" - choreographed by WAAPA student, Alex Abbott |
Artistic
Director, Producer: Ruth Osborne
Lighting
Design and operation: Guy Harding
QL2 Dance
QL2Theatre,
Gorman Arts Centre,
16th
& 17TH December 2017
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
The final
event in QL2’s 2017 program, “On Course 2017” provided, as it has done for the
last 10 years, young dance-makers involved in full time university dance
studies, the opportunity to flex their choreographic muscles and create an
eight-minute dance work of their choice.
Originally
conceived as an opportunity for QL2 alumni, “On Course” now attracts young
choreographers and dancers from all over the country. This year, works by artists
from Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Victorian College
of the Arts (VCA), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and University of
NSW (UNSW) were presented. Five of these were QL2 alumni, others had
participated in previous “On Course”, and some were having their first
experience with “On Course”. Unusually five of the nine choreographers were
male.
Each
participant was provided with dancers, mentoring and rehearsal space for six,
three-hour rehearsals over a three-week period in which to create works bristling
with ideas and originality. Some took the opportunity to question the validity
of dance and choreography, while others were inspired by nature and animals.
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| "Just dance already" choreographed by VCA student, Gabriel Sinclair |
Gabriel
Sinclair created an amusing, light-hearted work on six dancers. “Just Dance
Already” commenced with his dancers arguing over choreographic ideas. Just as
they reached exhaustion, they were revived by sounds of disco music. Their
sheer joy in dance provided the work with a beautifully resolved climax.
Nasim Patel
bought a completely different approach to his questioning with his solo work “A
lecture?”: questioning importance”.
Working to Claudio Arrau’s sublime rendition of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune”,
and armed with a white-board and pen, Patel delivered a discourse linking the death of Harambe the
gorilla with the arrival of the first man on the moon. His clever use of
contrasting vocal rhythms, provided a riveting prelude to his short dance solo.
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| "Literally abstract" choreographed by UNSW student, Maddy Towler Lovell |
Maddy Towler
Lovell also used humour to explore questions of the accessibility of modern
dance in her work, “Literally abstract”, in which Ruby Ballantyne, clad in
dungarees and hat, delivered a very funny David Attenborough-ish description of
two dancers executing graceful birdlike movements.
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| "Eusociality" choreographed by VCA student Alexandra Dobson |
Alexandra
Dobson created an impressive work called “Eusociality” for which her eight
dancers entered the stage on all four, monkey-like, in a beam of light. Working
to a heavy metal soundtrack, they then performed Dobson’s strong swooping
choreography with impressive commitment and polish.
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| "Liesure Slug" choreographed by VCA student, Thalia Livingstone |
Thalia
Livingstone’s playful work was entitled “Leisure Slug” for which she encased
her four dancers in transparent plastic sheeting to create a series of striking
images. Jason Pearce also chose the theme of change for his impressive work “B”
in which, mid-way through, his three dancers emerged from plastic boiler suits
to reveal colourful costumes as they responded to voice-over commands ranging from
frenetic to cool.
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| "Fly by the seat of my pants" choreographed by WAAPA Student, Alex Abbot |
Alex Abbot drew on his rhythmic and hip-hop
background to create an absorbing work on eight dancers entitled “Fly by the seat of my Pants”. His slow, graceful unison movements were beautifully
performed by the dancers, to create a lovely work of impressive visual appeal.
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| "This Parting Glass" choreographed by QUT student, Mara Glass |
In a
similarly ambitious work, “The Parting Glass”, Mara Glass demonstrated her
impressive skills as dance-maker, to create a spectacular work on eleven
dancers to explore ideas of communication and departure. Clever use of robotic
movements, graceful floor work, striking duo work and well resolved group
movement resulted in a work which was both appealing and satisfying.
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| "Patrick talks at you, then lip-syncs, then you go on with your lives" choreographed by VCA student, Patrick Keogh Walker |
Though his
title succinctly describes his passionate solo work, “Patrick talks at you,
then lip-syncs, then you go on with your lives”, Patrick Keogh Walker seemed
trapped by his striking long white wedding dress costume with its slowly
unfurling train, and his soundtrack of John Farnham’s “You’re The Voice”. Confined
to some bare-footed Irish jig steps and repetitive arm gestures, the work felt unresolved
as to its purpose and intent.
Excellent
stage management and lighting insured the 90 minute program flowed, with each
of the works thoughtfully costumed, and exceptionally well danced. As one
audience member observed at the Q & A afterwards, “This is the best “On
Course” I can remember”. I wouldn’t argue with that.
All photos courtesy of : Lorna Sim
This review originally published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 17.12.2017
