Jade Dewi Tyas -Tunggal in collaboration with Paula van Beek and Ria Soemardjo: Opal Vapour -
Malthouse, Tower Theatre, 2 October -
Opal Vapour is presented as part of the Malthouse Theatre’s “Helium” season, and is performed in the very atmospheric Tower Theatre, presumably named for its location at the top of a dark, narrow flight of stairs.
The piece begins with an elevated platform in the centre of the stage (a small room), upon which there is something that looks like a sand dune, made from very tactile looking fabric. Composer and musician Ria Soemardjo enters the room, carrying an instrument made of metal hangings, which she gently shakes as she walks around the platform. She sets the instrument down, and begins to disassemble the sand dune-like object, pulling away the layers of fabric, almost excruciatingly slowly, until it is obvious that the sand dune is breathing. As the last layer of gauze is lifted, choreographer and sole performer Jade Dewi Tyas-Tunggal is revealed, lying on the platform on a bed of sand. She begins to move her hands, sifting the sand through her fingers, to reveal that the platform is really a light box. As the sand is shed, the platform is illuminated, and so begins a truly unique and beautiful performance.
The piece blends Javanese court-dance with a fusion of ballet, contemporary, Balinese, Indigenous Australian and African dance with some Japanese martial arts and also a few yoga positions thrown in. Tyas-Tunggal has an incredible physique and amazing stamina -- the sole dancer, she performs with incredible energy throughout.
The lighting, designed by Paula van Beek, uses traditional shadow play combined with live feed camera projections, and is one of the most incredible lighting landscapes I’ve seen. It is absolutely mesmerizing. This, combined with Soemardjo’s haunting melodies, sung and played on viola and percussion, makes Opal Vapour an almost spiritual experience. For 45 minutes, I felt I had been transported to a more beautiful world.
-- ASTRID LAWTON