Adelaide College of the Arts: "Dog and Divine", Graduation Performance -
X-Space Theatre, Adelaide College of the Arts, 10 December 2012 -
This year’s Adelaide College of the Arts (ACA) graduation show was a double bill, "Dog and Divine", two markedly different works by ACA lecturer and choreographer Peter Sheedy. Both ensemble works were created for the graduating class of eight girls and one boy, and also showcased the talents of graduating students from the college’s design and technical production courses. It must be said from the outset that the designs by Pip Strachan and Jacqui Richardson are outstanding and contribute considerably to the effectiveness of each piece. In addition, the production values were impeccable throughout the program.
Dog is a play on the notion of the “dog box” as a place of disfavour, rather than having anything to do with actual canines, and is set in a typical Australian shed. The back and sides of the space are constructed out of corrugated iron with cut out sections from floor to hip level, through which the dancers enter and exit, whilst the front of the space is enclosed with two-metre high mesh fencing. Billed as an exploration of “an individualistic way of thinking and existing that puts one’s needs above the group in order to feel a sense of relative control”, which of course is the antithesis of the nature of actual canines, the piece features a great deal of aggressive self-assertion. Dressed in brown-toned tank tops, shorts and pants, the dancers hurtle around the enclosed space, grapple with each other, bang on the fence and mark out their individual territories.
It’s all very fast-paced and furious until a change from the back lighting to a large down spot ushers in a duet for two girls that is calmer and more tentative. After a strong solo from Andrew Haycroft, an oversized light bulb drops from the flies and thence becomes a feature of the dance as it is swung across the space forcing the dancers to navigate their way around it. This is followed by a sequence in which the dancers use hand-held torches to illuminate each other’s movements—a striking theatrical effect. The spoken text is less effective, especially the inclusion of Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech, which seems pointless and out of place. The ending, which has the dancers flinging empty drink cans and other rubbish around to a monologue by Alana West, doesn’t tie the piece together effectively.
Divine is a much better realised work. The claustrophobic world of Dog is replaced by a vast, dimly lit performance space, with an enormous open doorway to the right and a huge mirror-like silver pillar at the back. Alexander Waite Mitchell’s evocative commissioned score is integral to the work’s mood. Playing live electric violin, Mitchell himself led the dancers through the space at the beginning and end like some kind of postmodern Pied Piper.
In contrast to the opening work, Divine focuses on connectedness. The opening sequence, in which a female dancer walks through the space then, rooted to the spot, starts to move slowly and sinuously, is compelling. We see the real dancer before us, as well as her reflection in the silver pillar and her enormous shadow projected onto the side wall, all moving simultaneously. In a sense, we’re being asked to make the connection between these three figures ourselves. Suddenly, the other eight dancers burst in, and all move towards the pillar, where they take turns dancing towards their own reflections. The movement sequences that follow make much use of contact work, gesture and the pointed use and avoidance of eye contact amongst individuals in the group to explore the connections between them. The movement is lyrical, slow and sensuous, and the whole piece seems to be over very quickly, although it runs for half an hour. It’s a piece that could be further developed, and that I’d like to see again.
In sum, this was a much stronger program than last year’s, and provided an effective showcase for a number of very promising dancers in this graduating class. Unfortunately, I’m unable to identify them all individually, but I will be keen to see whatever Annabelle Clough, Penny Dolling, Tal Graham, Alicia Harvie, Andrew Haycroft, Amy Hazell, Hanna Minchin, Petra Szabo and Alana West do next!
- Maggie Tonkin
Top photo: Tal Graham, Alana West, Penny Dolling and Amy Hazell in Dog. Photo: Sofia Calado Photography.