Merlyn Theatre, The Malthouse
Thursday July 5
Vicki Van Hout’s ensemble piece Briwyant (pronounced “brilliant”) plays out on a huge stage, split by a river of playing cards, and embellished by large white sheets which serve as screens for the multi-media projections which punctuate the piece. Van Hout, a Wiradjuri woman, introduces the work, telling a Dreamtime story of ducks and goannas, and why they now live in their own elements – water and heat. Three female and two male performers dance out her words as she utters them, appearing from behind one of the white screens. This, the introduction, shows a more traditional, raw style of Indigenous dance than is showcased as the piece progresses.
Through the use of dialogue, multi-media, light and shadow, recorded voice overlays and a soundtrack (mixing swing with hardcore techno, barking dogs, giggling girls, the whirring of a camera flash, Aboriginal clapping sticks and the harmonious sounds of nature), Van Hout explores the (sometimes problematic) connection of ancient and contemporary Indigenous culture. Quite literally, fabric is used to connect the performers, as they pas de deux using pieces of fabric as props.
Briwyant, Van Hout’s third full-length work, continues her investigation into traditional and modern dance disciplines, and the new movement language that has evolved from her insight into both. Van Hout says: “A lot of the female dancers’ movements are inspired by indigenous women’s locomotives or shunts and a lot of the men’s movements are inspired by the flamboyant nature of men’s dancing.”
I thought there could have been more dancing in the work, and less dialogue. The piece culminated in an interesting movement showcasing all five performers (three female and two male), but just as I was really starting to enjoy watching this energetic style, quite different to anything I’ve ever seen before on stage, it ended.
Lighting designer Neil Simpson must be particularly congratulated. The use of light and shadow and overlays to produce grainy, black and white, film-footage on stage was really remarkable.
- ASTRID LAWTON