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| Elizabeth Cameron Dalman performing "Welcome Dance" |
Choreographed by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman and others.
Lighting designer and technical director – Darcy Wiseman
Graphic designer and project consultant – Barbie Robinson
Audio visual consultant – Christopher Chu.
Canberra Theatre Centre Courtyard Studio, 24 – 26th
October 2025.
Opening night performance on 24th October
reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.
This extraordinary program was devised by Australian contemporary
dance pioneer, Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, as a celebration of the evolution of her
dance practice over six decades.
During that time, Dalman founded two dance companies,
Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) in Adelaide, which this year is celebrating its
60th anniversary, and Mirramu Dance Company which she co-founded
with Vivienne Rogis in the ACT, which is also celebrating its 25th
Anniversary.
An important aspect of Dalman’s career has been the
affiliations she has forged during her international travels as a performer and
teacher. Particularly significant among
them being strong connections forged with Taiwanese dance artists, Christopher Chu, Yu Ming-chu, Peng Hsiao-yin (Grace),
Chen Yi-Ching (Olivia) and Chen Fu-rong (Fufu); all of whom travelled to
Canberra to participate in this program, along with Mirramu dancers, Vivienne
Rogis, Miranda Wheen, Amanda Tutalo and Tammi Gissell.
Also special was the participation of the unstoppable
nonagenarian herself, who not satisfied with recreating some of her most
significant dance works, also performed in some, and shared hosting duties with
Mirramu Dance co-founder, Vivienne Rogis.
To commence the program, the first part of which was devoted to works originally created for Australian Dance Theatre, Dalman performed Welcome Dance in the striking costume created for a production of Morning Star presented in the National Gallery in 2013.
Time may have robbed
her of some of her dexterity, but Dalman still possesses a remarkable presence.
Therefore, the opportunity to witness her perform this work, was a rare and memorable
experience.
Notable also was the fact that for the ADT section of the
program, the majority of the costumes were the original ones created for the
works in which they were danced.
At this performance excerpts from four works created during the
1960/70’s for ADT, the first of which was This Train, a 1965 work performed
to songs sung by Peter, Paul & Mary, an American vocal group who had become
personal friends of Dalman.
The excerpt featured three of the original seven songs which comprised This Train commencing with “Early in the Morning” danced by Miranda
Wheen, Peng Hsiao-Yin (Grace), Fu-rong Chen (Fufu) and Chen Yi-ching (Olivia). A lovely solo "All My Trials" danced by Peng Hsiao-Yin (Grace) followed, then ""Blowin in the Wind" performed by Amanda Tutalo, Miranda Wheen and Peng Hsiao-Yin (Grace).
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| Peng Hsiao-Yin (Grace) performing "All My Trials" |
Beautifully interpreted by the dancers, this work contained many of Dalman’s signature moves, occasionally
bringing to mind the styles of Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham; and also, of Eleo
Pomare, with whom Dalman had a long collaboration.
Following this presentation, Dalman shared an amusing anecdote concerning the costume for her 1963 solo, Spiritual, created for her by Pomare. As costumes were always an important part of the development of Pomare's choreographies, before commencing his choreography, Pomare made the costume, cutting out the pattern and pinning the material on to Dalman. Vivienne Rogis then gave an incandescent performance of that solo, wearing that very same costume.
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| Vivienne Rogis performing "Spiritual" |
A 1969 work, Creation Duet, inspired by Dalman’s enduring
interest in First Nation’s mythology, was remounted for, and performed by Chen
Yi-Ching (Olivia) and Chen Fu-Rong (Fufu) to whom Dalman gifted the work, in
honour of her connection with their Taiwanese company, Dancecology.
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| Chen Yi-Ching (Olivia) and Chen Fu-Rong (Fufu) performing "Creation Duet" |
Excerpts from a delightfully campy 1969 work, Homage to Botticelli, inspired by a visit to Florence, commenced with the entire company costumed as figures from a Botticelli painting. However, as the work progressed, the dancers transformed into spaced-out hippies, obviously having fun bringing the work to its exuberant conclusion. Aspects of this work probably raised eyebrows in 1969, but at this performance the audience delighted at being reminded of some long-forgotten dance moves.
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| "Homage to Botticelli" |
The second half of ECDysis was devoted to works from the Mirramu Dance Company’s repertoire, commencing with a visually spectacular work entitled Mountain Skirts from a longer work, Bride in the Desert, created in 2003 in response to a visit by the company to the central desert of South Australia. Performed by Vivienne Rogis, Miranda Wheen and Amanda Tutalo, the work climaxed with an amazing costume transformation featuring billowing silk sails.
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| Vivienne Rogis, Miranda Wheen and Amanda Tutalo performing "Mountain Skirts" |
Several works demonstrated Mirramu Dance Company’s interest in social topics. An excerpt from a 2009 work, River, was created as a response to concerns about the degradation of the Darling River. An evocative solo, created and beautifully performed by Miranda Wheen for the 2006 work, Tango Lament, as a response to the closure of the dance department at Western Sydney University, and an affecting duet, Refugee, created in Taiwan in 2018 by Dalman and performed by Amanda Tutalo and Chen Fu-Rong (Fufu) on this occasion, needed no explanation.
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| Amanda Tutalo and Chen Fu-Rong (Fufu) performing "Refugee" |
But perhaps the most remarkable performance of the evening was that of Christopher Chu as a silkworm pupa chewing its way through the mulberry leaves from which he makes the silk, before weaving the cocoon around himself, which introduced the 2002 work Silk, inspired by Dalman’s fondness for that fabric, for which he was joined by Vivienne Rogis and Yu Ming-chu as elegant consumers of his labours.
The final work of the program was Family Tree created
by Dalman with the dancers especially for this performance and performed by Dalman and members
of both Mirramu Dance Company together with the five visiting Taiwanese dance
artists as a celebration of the inter-cultural and cross-generational
connections shared over the last twenty-five years.
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| Elizabeth Cameron Dalman and dancers performing "Family Tree" |
Photos by Sigo Tseng
