DANCE a la carte

‘DANCE A La Carte’ is a triple bill of contemporary dance devised, developed and performed by three ex-WAAPA dance students, Aisling Donovan, Tina Evans, and Jeni Sutton. It is presented by, and showing at, the Blue Room Theatre, Northbridge each evening at 8.00 pm until 9^th August.

With a programme made to look like a restaurant menu, these three courses were served up to the ‘diners’.

‘Room with her view’ devised, choreographed and performed by Aisling Donovan. It shows how a young girl can, one minute, be enjoying herself at a rave and moments later be shattered by loneliness or rejection by a boy. You can feel her heartache. Her suffering is exacerbated by the visuals of the real world at night showing in the background. Beautifully portrayed.

‘Toys’ devised and performed by Melbourne artist Tina Evans. A valuable and beautiful musical box, with a rotating ballet dancer, is sold for a high price to some new and uncaring owners who abuse it – treating it as a mere toy. This treatment is bad enough, but when the ballerina has a soul of her own, the story becomes tragic. Reminiscent of the Donovan song ‘Little Tin Soldier’, this story mirrors the dark shadows of sex trafficking. I was stunned to see how much emotion and tragedy could be displayed by a dancer. A truly memorable piece. Credit to Sasha Dylan Bell for the film and Natasha Blankfield for stills.

 ‘Legs 11’ is Jeni Sutton’s offering as the main course. It is the tale of two elderly bingo-goers (Jeni and Aisling) recalling a debauched youth. This act was filled with acrobatic energy, superb synchronised movement and humour.

The lighting by Mike Nanning was excellent; he used the full range from powerful parallel-beamed spots to soft, coloured floods, barely glowing at times. Wonderful effect. The clever choice of music for the acts was varied and appropriate. Dance is not one of my preferred media, but this show was exciting and filled with talent.