We Unfold
Thu, 28 July 2011, 10:22 amGordon the Optom2 posts in thread
We Unfold
Thu, 28 July 2011, 10:22 am‘We unfold’, which premiered in Sydney in March 2009, is now being presented by the Perth Theatre Trust and His Majesty’s Theatre. The Sydney Dance Company, one of Australia’s most exciting contemporary dance companies, brings this spectacular to His Majesty’s Theatre, 825 Hay Street, Perth for 5 performances only. The run finishes on Saturday 30th July. Each of the 65-minute performances start at 7.30, with a Saturday Matinee at 1.30 pm.
Barcelona-born Rafael Bonachela, who was trained at the London branch of the Ballet Rambert, is the choreographer and artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company. This production exhibits Bonachela’s aspirations, where he sees the Company’s development as ‘a flower unfolding and blossoming as self-examination of our emotional cores’. Bonachela has choreographed many genres including ballet, a Tina Turner show and Kylie Minogue’s Showgirl Tour. His vision for the Sydney Dance Company is to create miscellany for audiences, coupled with a diversity of challenges for the dancers.
The composer, Ezio Bosso, who has travelled the world by invitationS from some of the most prominent institutions, recalls the fear he had leaving his European home to come to live in Australia. His stunning score for this spectacular is a symphony, ‘Oceans’, in 5 movements, an absolute tour de force. 'Oceans' is dominated by the cello, although the double bass is the composer’s preferred instrument. Each movement represents an important piece of his family’s journey.
Sydney born filmmaker and video artist, Daniel Askill, has produced an amazing visual backdrop. The whole 500 sq. feet of the back cyc, ground to ceiling, is filled with movement. The elements of fire, water and life are represented. The visual changes are subtly slow and yet quite dramatic in their conclusion.
The curtain rises to show the 15 dancers at the rear of the bare stage, silhouetted against a white lit background. As they move, the white turns to swirling mists that gradually clear, revealing that we are flying through space. A myriad of stars flash past us on this never ending journey through the star field.
The first movement music, an allegro ‘to plough the waves’, slowly builds in power and volume, the wonderful music is reminiscent of ‘Mars’ from Holst’s Planet Suite. The dancers slowly come to life, their limbs flop and shake as the blood circulates. Their excitement, mixed with the fear of their leaving home, becomes clear.
The next movement, ‘The immigrants’ song’ is a nostalgic, sad melody, with some beautiful playing by the cello soloist, Relja Lukic. You can sense the angst. Slowly a human figure appears on the video, this eventually fills the screen. Some of the dancers crowd around as though they are worshiping not so much an idol, but a giant symbol of their homeland and the powerful memories it invokes.
The travellers set sail, and with rain representing their tears, they drift into the vast ocean. The music of the cello turns pizzicato, with the sharp individual notes taking on a mechanical effect. The dancers become automatons, representing the parts of the ship’s engine as they bob up and down. In the background the idols they remember slowly disappear in flames, they are now alone.
In the peaceful and delightful following movement, the adagio, the woodwind creates the vast emptiness of the ocean. Slowly a new idol grows, the rain stops and the sun comes out.
As land comes into sight, the dancers smile, their steps become lighter and the music softens. Their new home has arrived – but are they simply back to where they started?
Costume Designer, Jordan Askill (brother of the video producer) has the dancers dressed in light, flesh coloured sports gear, similar to that used for beach volleyball, making all of them ‘pure and equal’.
The lighting, by designer Hugh Taranto, is mainly from white crisp spots, pointing down vertically from above, giving a very dramatic outline to the muscular forms. Occasionally the mighty floods from the wings would give some warmth.
The multi-award winning Ensemble, for this Australian contemporary dance, is under the brilliant, and highly experienced guidance of Dance Director Amy Hollingsworth (originally from Perth), who took out an award for Most Outstanding Female Dancer at the Australian Dance Awards. Her athletic dancers are Perth’s WAAPA trained Natalie Allen, Emily Amisano (who has won two Green Room awards for Best Female Dancer), the tall, contorting soloist Juliette Barton (another WAAPA girl) was stunning, Lachlan Bell, Richard Cilli (2010 Best Male Dancer), Andrew Crawford, Janessa Dufty, Kynan Hughes (WAAPA), Bernhard Knauer, Annabel Knight (nominated for a 2009 Helpmann Award), Perth born Lauren Langlois, Wayne Parsons who has performed in most European countries, Todd Sutherland is, not surprisingly, a member of the Australian Gymnastics Team, Chen Wen who has many Chinese awards and finally but no means least, Charmene Yap (WAAPA).
The whole team showed an adroit blend of meticulous, power and precision in their exacting and mesmerising movements. The pace is breakneck, the energy burnt could light Perth for a week, and yet the dancers carry out the whole routine as though it was a walk in the park, gracefully and light of foot, managing to make the strenuous demands look effortless. To try and describe the frantic and relentless dancing could never do it justice. The ingenuity was stunning, the limbs flowed like mercury as the contortions changed. You must see it for yourself.
The lush and evocative music was performed by the Orchestra Filarmonica 900 of Turin. Some critics in the eastern states commented that they thought the recording ‘too booming’, however the acoustics of His Majesty’s must be fairly similar to the recording venue as the sound quality was excellent, certainly no boom. Adam Iuston’s recording was perfectly balanced, although at times the music was loud as the salvo of sound filled the air with excitement. The video, music and dancing were timed to the split second, giving one powerful breathtaking unity.
The audience was a true cross-section of Perth. No longer do dance companies solely attract the older upper-class in evening dress and furs. The ages ranged from 10 to 90, there were politicians, students and even the odd Bikie! Yes, this production was most accessible to patrons who are not dance specialists.
The record-breaking ovation at the end deservedly went on for several minutes - a true blockbuster.
‘We unfold’, which premiered in Sydney in March 2009, is now being presented by the Perth Theatre Trust and His Majesty’s Theatre. The Sydney Dance Company, one of Australia’s most exciting contemporary dance companies, brings this spectacular to His Majesty’s Theatre, 825 Hay Street, Perth for 5 performances only. The run finishes on Saturday 30th July. Each of the 65-minute performances start at 7.30, with a Saturday Matinee at 1.30 pm.
Barcelona-born Rafael Bonachela, who was trained at the London branch of the Ballet Rambert, is the choreographer and artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company. This production exhibits Bonachela’s aspirations, where he sees the Company’s development as ‘a flower unfolding and blossoming as self-examination of our emotional cores’. Bonachela has choreographed many genres including ballet, a Tina Turner show and Kylie Minogue’s Showgirl Tour. His vision for the Sydney Dance Company is to create miscellany for audiences, coupled with a diversity of challenges for the dancers.
The composer, Ezio Bosso, who has travelled the world by invitationS from some of the most prominent institutions, recalls the fear he had leaving his European home to come to live in Australia. His stunning score for this spectacular is a symphony, ‘Oceans’, in 5 movements, an absolute tour de force. 'Oceans' is dominated by the cello, although the double bass is the composer’s preferred instrument. Each movement represents an important piece of his family’s journey.
Sydney born filmmaker and video artist, Daniel Askill, has produced an amazing visual backdrop. The whole 500 sq. feet of the back cyc, ground to ceiling, is filled with movement. The elements of fire, water and life are represented. The visual changes are subtly slow and yet quite dramatic in their conclusion.
The curtain rises to show the 15 dancers at the rear of the bare stage, silhouetted against a white lit background. As they move, the white turns to swirling mists that gradually clear, revealing that we are flying through space. A myriad of stars flash past us on this never ending journey through the star field.
The first movement music, an allegro ‘to plough the waves’, slowly builds in power and volume, the wonderful music is reminiscent of ‘Mars’ from Holst’s Planet Suite. The dancers slowly come to life, their limbs flop and shake as the blood circulates. Their excitement, mixed with the fear of their leaving home, becomes clear.
The next movement, ‘The immigrants’ song’ is a nostalgic, sad melody, with some beautiful playing by the cello soloist, Relja Lukic. You can sense the angst. Slowly a human figure appears on the video, this eventually fills the screen. Some of the dancers crowd around as though they are worshiping not so much an idol, but a giant symbol of their homeland and the powerful memories it invokes.
The travellers set sail, and with rain representing their tears, they drift into the vast ocean. The music of the cello turns pizzicato, with the sharp individual notes taking on a mechanical effect. The dancers become automatons, representing the parts of the ship’s engine as they bob up and down. In the background the idols they remember slowly disappear in flames, they are now alone.
In the peaceful and delightful following movement, the adagio, the woodwind creates the vast emptiness of the ocean. Slowly a new idol grows, the rain stops and the sun comes out.
As land comes into sight, the dancers smile, their steps become lighter and the music softens. Their new home has arrived – but are they simply back to where they started?
Costume Designer, Jordan Askill (brother of the video producer) has the dancers dressed in light, flesh coloured sports gear, similar to that used for beach volleyball, making all of them ‘pure and equal’.
The lighting, by designer Hugh Taranto, is mainly from white crisp spots, pointing down vertically from above, giving a very dramatic outline to the muscular forms. Occasionally the mighty floods from the wings would give some warmth.
The multi-award winning Ensemble, for this Australian contemporary dance, is under the brilliant, and highly experienced guidance of Dance Director Amy Hollingsworth (originally from Perth), who took out an award for Most Outstanding Female Dancer at the Australian Dance Awards. Her athletic dancers are Perth’s WAAPA trained Natalie Allen, Emily Amisano (who has won two Green Room awards for Best Female Dancer), the tall, contorting soloist Juliette Barton (another WAAPA girl) was stunning, Lachlan Bell, Richard Cilli (2010 Best Male Dancer), Andrew Crawford, Janessa Dufty, Kynan Hughes (WAAPA), Bernhard Knauer, Annabel Knight (nominated for a 2009 Helpmann Award), Perth born Lauren Langlois, Wayne Parsons who has performed in most European countries, Todd Sutherland is, not surprisingly, a member of the Australian Gymnastics Team, Chen Wen who has many Chinese awards and finally but no means least, Charmene Yap (WAAPA).
The whole team showed an adroit blend of meticulous, power and precision in their exacting and mesmerising movements. The pace is breakneck, the energy burnt could light Perth for a week, and yet the dancers carry out the whole routine as though it was a walk in the park, gracefully and light of foot, managing to make the strenuous demands look effortless. To try and describe the frantic and relentless dancing could never do it justice. The ingenuity was stunning, the limbs flowed like mercury as the contortions changed. You must see it for yourself.
The lush and evocative music was performed by the Orchestra Filarmonica 900 of Turin. Some critics in the eastern states commented that they thought the recording ‘too booming’, however the acoustics of His Majesty’s must be fairly similar to the recording venue as the sound quality was excellent, certainly no boom. Adam Iuston’s recording was perfectly balanced, although at times the music was loud as the salvo of sound filled the air with excitement. The video, music and dancing were timed to the split second, giving one powerful breathtaking unity.
The audience was a true cross-section of Perth. No longer do dance companies solely attract the older upper-class in evening dress and furs. The ages ranged from 10 to 90, there were politicians, students and even the odd Bikie! Yes, this production was most accessible to patrons who are not dance specialists.
The record-breaking ovation at the end deservedly went on for several minutes - a true blockbuster.
Opening night