With a definite trend towards dance theatre, Sydney Dance Festival’s dance line-up sounds like an exhilarating mix of contemporary dance with a variety of other dance and movement styles, and art forms.
The program begins with German choreographer Raimund Hoghe’s Sacre - The Rite of Spring, which opens January 5. Described by the Festival as “an intimate fusion of theatre and dance”, Hoghe has choreographed Sacre – The Rite of Spring to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, composed for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.
Revolving around two characters who are opposite in age, appearance and demeanour, the work is linear, symmetrical and stripped down. The patterning and repetition lends a ritualistic feel to the work, reminiscent of Nijinsky’s original ballet.
Opening January 9 is Branch Nebula’s Concrete and Bone Sessions. Branch Nebula is an Australian company dedicated to working across disciplines, and Concrete and Bone Sessions continues that tradition. Part theatre, part dance, part urban street sport, Concrete and Bones Sessions features professional skaters, BMX riders, parkour practitioners, breakers and dancers. It’s a confrontation between bodies and wheels set amongst the concrete, cracks, curves and graffiti of a skate park.
Australian physical theatre company Legs on the Wall brings us Symphony, opening January 11. Directed by Legs on the Wall's Artistic Director, Patrick Nolan, Symphony is a hybrid work composed of dance, physical theatre, movement and music. It is the first in a series of commissions, in which a composer/instrumentalist is asked to re-imagine one of Beethoven’s nine symphonies for a solo instrument.
Performers Matt Cornell, Dean Cross, Amy Macpherson and Rhiannon Spratling are each highlighted in the four movements, enriched by Andrew Wholley’s video imagery. Symphony will see the three elements of the work, the performers, the music and the video ‘talk’ to each other, like the musicians of a jazz ensemble. At any moment, one may overtake the others, lending an excitement to the proceedings.
Last but by no means least will be Fabulous Beast’s Rian, which opens January 17. Hailing from Ireland, internationally acclaimed Fabulous Beast is no stranger to our shores, having performed Giselle at the 2009 Perth International Arts Festival and at the 2010 Sydney Festival.
Directed and choregraphed by Michael Keegan-Dolan, Rian is a collaboration with Irish musician Liam Ó Maonlaí, of Hothouse Flowers fame. Drawing inspiration from Ó Maonlaí’s 2005 solo album Rian (meaning ‘mark’ or ‘trace’ in Irish), the work is a celebration of Ireland’s roots and traditions, where Celtic sounds are mixed with elements of West African music, and eight dancers from around the world unite with five of Ireland’s top musicians. Although the dancers are dressed in conventional Irish country togs, Keegan-Dolan was influenced by the personalities and styles of his eight individual dancers who originate from Kerala, Helsinki, Athens, Nigeria, Denmark and Ireland. Consequently the dance movements of Rian hold not only Gaelic but African and Flamenco influences.
More info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au