Ce site Web a des limites de navigation. Il est recommandé d'utiliser un navigateur comme Edge, Chrome, Safari ou Firefox.

In Phase

Opening nights at Sydney Dance Company have become the place to see and be seen. The troupe's charismatic artistic director, Spaniard Rafael Bonachela, has transformed SDC into a chic contemporary outfit, at the heart of Sydney's hip art scene. The company's recent premiere of “Orb,” a double bill featuring “Full Moon” by Taiwanese choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung and “Ocho,” Bonachela's latest, was no exception, drawing the glitterati to the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Sydney's Walsh Bay.

Performance

Sydney Dance Company: “Orb”

Place

Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, May 2, 2017

Words

Claudia Lawson

Sydney Dance Company in “Full Moon.” Photograph Pedro Greig

subscribe to the latest in dance


“Uncommonly intelligent, substantial coverage.”

Your weekly source for world-class dance reviews, interviews, articles, and more.

Already a paid subscriber? Login

Cheng is the artistic director of Cloud Gate 2, the junior wing of Taiwan’s famous Cloud Gate Dance Theater. Cloud Gate dancers are known for their almost miraculous ability to move their bodies like liquid, and Cheng’s junior company mirrors that liquefying ability, but under Cheng’s tutor, have more grit, more edge. “Full Moon” is Cheng's first work for SDC, and it opened the evening.

Perhaps unwittingly, the title sets up an expectation of lyrical movement and a serene score. It is nothing of the sort. “Full Moon” begins with eight dancers running helter skelter across the stage, dressed in all sorts of colours and fabrics, under intense lights. From here the dancers break off into ones and twos, presenting unusual but fluid choreography. From the outset, it is hard to get your head around any connection to the moon. While the dancers are fabulous independently, the work maintains a sense of disconnection. As the work nears its close and Lim Giong’s score builds, there is yet a wonderful coming together of the cast. Serene choreography sees the dancers move in harmony, while Damien Cooper’s lighting gives an overall sense of wonderment to the stage, the notion of the full moon now cognisant. Highlights were the physically striking Sam Young-Wright and Chloe Leong. Holly Doyle as a slightly unstable character was also a standout, her jagged movements and bobbing head completely engaging in a blue and white bell-shaped dress. Indeed, Fan Huai-chih’s costuming is perhaps the most striking element; a fabulous mix of colours and textures, they move with subtle differences in tune with the dancers' bodies.

Bonachela's “Ocho” is, quite literally, a work for eight dancers. He created distinct choreography for each dancer, playing to their strengths, before bringing the dancers together as a whole. It is a novel approach as most works are borne from the company dancers working together, rather than being individually pieced together.

“Ocho” opens with an energetic solo danced by Nelson Earl. From there, the other seven dancers emerge from a huge glass box positioned at the back of the stage. Each of the dancers watch the other, before being watched. Bonachela knows his dancers, and the choreography is tailored to bring out their best. Josephine Weise’s athleticism is a real standout. The costuming and the score, however, didn’t quite live up to the level of Bonachela’s choreography with the dancers in daggy sportswear and Nick Wales' electronic score grating with static noise. The result is that the work in parts seems dated. Rrawun Maymuru’s vocals are a saving grace; they are a wonderful addition. The work has a darker undercurrent, too. As the dancer’s move around their glass cage, the men at times appeared to dominate the women. It is challenging to watch and cast a shadow over the strong solo work executed with flair.

“Orb” brings together an eclectic mix of high energy choreography borne of unusual concepts. While it’s probably time to move on from the static, electronic scores, Bonachela has once again delivered clever and fresh choreography performed by dancers who mesmerise with their bodies, their movements and their stamina. A performance worthy of its cool factor.

“Orb” performs nightly at the Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay in Sydney until May 13, before travelling to the Arts Centre, Melbourne 17 -20 May; then the Canberra Theatre Centre 25-27 May 2017.

Claudia Lawson


Claudia Lawson is a dance critic based in Sydney, Australia, writing regularly for ABC Radio National, ABC Arts, and Fjord Review. After graduating with degrees in Law and Forensic Science, Claudia worked as a media lawyer for the ABC, FOXTEL and the BBC in London, where she also co-founded Street Sessions dance company. Returning to Sydney, Claudia studied medicine and now works as a doctor. She is the host of the award-winning Talking Pointes Podcast.

comments

Featured

The Body as Archive
REVIEWS | Candice Thompson

The Body as Archive

All too often it seems the human memory is too short. History is easily forgotten and, in a week where Americans are still processing the results of the presidential election, it is hard not to feel like we are doomed to repeat ourselves. 

Plus
Dance not Tell
REVIEWS | Faye Arthurs

Dance not Tell

Eyeballs, screaming crones, and bloody axes were projected on a scrim at the top of American Ballet Theater’s new production of “Crime and Punishment.” Not bad for Halloween programming! Yet, despite Isobel Waller-Bridge’s cinematic, pressure-cooker score—which frequently evoked escape room music—there was very little suspense in Helen Pickett and James Bonas’s new narrative full-length.

Plus
Antony Hamilton, Keeping Time
INTERVIEWS | Phoebe Roberts

Antony Hamilton, Keeping Time

Antony Hamilton is on the move. When he answers my Zoom call, the world-renowned choreographer is at the airport about to board a flight to London. This isn't a vacation, though: the Australian native, who is also the artistic director and co-CEO of Chunky Move, a Victoria-based contemporary dance company, is traveling with the troupe on their latest Europe and U.K. tour.

Plus
New World Record
REVIEWS | Gracia Haby

New World Record

Records are for keeping. A record of the past in permanent form, an account. An official report. The sum of past achievements. The best, most remarkable event of its kind, a world record, no less. 

Plus
Good Subscription Agency