Restless Dance Theatre: “Naturally” -
Odeon Theatre, Norwood, 13 November -
Restless is on something of a high this year, having moved into new premises purpose built for the disabled earlier in the year, and having recently secured dollar for dollar matched funding under the Plus 1 program of Creative Partnerships Australia to support the creation of new work next year. Artistic director Michelle Ryan has won her share of personal accolades: her work with Torque Show, Intimacy, won the 2015 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance, and the documentary made about her by Meryl Tankard, Michelle’s Story, won the Audience Award for Most Popular Short at the 2015 Adelaide Film Festival. One of Ryan’s first initiatives when she became artistic director in 2013 was to establish the Senior Ensemble for alumni of the Junior Ensemble, and “Naturally”, the company’s double bill under review here, breaks new ground in having both ensembles perform together.
The first work features dancers from the Senior Ensemble. In What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This, director Emma Stokes tackles the subject of disability, romance and sex—a topic that is still seen as taboo in many quarters—with sensitivity and humour. In the beginning, Ailsa Paterson’s set, which features abstract tree-like structures that can be moved around the space, and Chris Petridis’s dark, blue tinged lighting, create a mysterious atmosphere as individual figures emerge and blend back into the darkness. The performers then line up before a microphone, reading out feelings about romance and sex that are both funny and moving, as they articulate the same longings for love and sexual connection that we all share. Dance interludes follow: a duet for accomplished performers Dana Nance and Kym Mackenzie with a cushion is a highlight, as is the ensemble piece to Percy Sledge’s great soul number, ‘When a Man Loves a Woman.’ About two-thirds of the way through the movement palette starts to become too limited though, and the piece stalls somewhat. A lovely conclusion, in which an illuminated heart is carried around the darkened space to each dancer in turn, saves the day.
Michelle Ryan’s Touched, featuring the Junior Ensemble, explores both senses of the word “touch”: physical touch, and the emotional sense of being “touched”. A wonderful score by Sydney composer Liz Martin sets up a variety of moods, from the playful to the sombre, that allow a range of feelings to be explored. The opening sequence, in which the dancers race in and out of two spotlights, was terrific, with Chris Dyke’s leaps and spins on the floor a particular standout, as was Darcy Carpenter’s teasing trio with Josh Campton and Michael Hodyl that follows. A long flirtatious interlude between two dancers (Kathryn Evans and Hodyl), showed off Evans’s superb comic timing to perfection. A delicate sequence in which one woman comforts another, cushioning her face with her hands and gently surrounding her, was sensitively done. The piece ends joyfully with a bottom dance of epic proportions: the entire cast gets to strut their stuff and wag their respective booties in style. Touched is stellar: Ryan has really drawn on the strengths of the dancers and their energy and joy in performance brought the audience to its feet.
This is a terrific double bill that deserves to be widely seen.
- Maggie Tonkin
"Naturally" closes 21 November.
All photos: Andy Rasheed. Top photo: What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?. Click on thumbnails for captions.