Choreographed by Stephen Page, Daniel Riley and
Yolande Brown
Costumes designed by Jennifer Irwin - Set Designed by
Jacob NashMusic composed by Steve Francis - Lighting designed by Stan James-Holland
Dramaturgy by Alana Valentine - Canberra Theatre 26th to 28th July, 2018
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
Bangarra Dance Theatre - ensemble - "Dark Emu"
Fresh from its triumph at the 2018 Helpmann Awards,
practically scooping the pool, winning six Helpmanns for “Bennelong” and a
Helpmann for “Our Land People Stories”, Bangarra Dance Theatre again mesmerizes
Canberra audiences with a brand new work, “Dark Emu”.
Taking Bruce Pascoe’s award-winning book “Dark Emu,
Black Seeds” as their inspiration, choreographers Stephen Page, Daniel Riley
and Yolande Brown have fashioned a seamless, endlessly inventive dance work in
which the sophisticated farming, fishing and land management practices of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islanders are depicted in a series of abstract, visually
beautiful and passionately danced sequences.
Jacob Nash’s moody setting incorporates huge
sculptural interpretations of native seeds and shells, which belch smoke or
shower sand on the dancers. Large rocks are carried on and off, structures are
built and dismantled in a continuing flow of arresting images, for which Stan
James-Holland’s superb lighting, and Steve Francis’s dramatic soundscape, are
integral. Jennifer Irwin’s extraordinary muted costumes are remarkable for their
incredible use of texture, and the beautiful way they move.
 |
| Rikki Mason - Elma Kris - "Dark Emu" |
Bangarra Dance Theatre has always been an ensemble
company with a fiercely distinctive style. The standard of dancing among the 18
members of the current company has never been higher. The confidence and
refinement with which the dancers perform the increasingly sophisticated
choreographic demands is particularly noticeable in the high polish achieved by
the women in the unison sections of the lovely “Bowls of Mourning” sequence.
 |
| Tyrel Dulvarie - Beau Dean Riley Smith "Dark Emu" |
Now approaching its 30th year, Bangarra
Dance Theatre is recognized internationally for its particular uniqueness among
dance companies. Artistic Director, Stephen Page, has patiently nurtured dancers,
Elma Kris, Yolanda Lowatta, Daniel Riley, Beau Dean Riley Smith and Waangenga
Blanco into star dancers each possessing a unique presence which imbues any
sequence in which they appear with authenticity. Similarly his mentorship of
young choreographers, including Daniel Riley and Yolande Brown, and such
distinctive creatives as Jacob Nash, Steve Francis and Stan James-Holland, not
only insures that Bangarra Dance Theatre will maintain its place at the
forefront of Indigenous dance companies, but could also find itself scooping
the Helpmann pool again with this latest creation, “Dark Emu”.
Photos by Daniel Boud
This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 27.07.2018
