Breaking Out
Thu, 23 Aug 2012, 10:33 amGordon the Optom2 posts in thread
Breaking Out
Thu, 23 Aug 2012, 10:33 am‘Breaking Out’ is the latest spectacular from WAAPA’s third year dance students, set to original music composed and produced by WAAPA’s Composition and Music Technology students. This delightful show, for all ages, can be seen at the Dolphin Theatre, University of WA, Stirling Highway, Crawley each night until Friday 24th August with a matinee on Saturday 25th at 2.00 pm.
I will apologise in advance for any wrong interpretation of the performances, but these magnificent dancers are there to bring entertainment and to please the masses, if the audience get the wrong message but are thrilled by what they see, then I am sure that the performers will still be more than satisfied.
As actors will know, I do not take notes when reviewing, and unfortunately I have totally lost the picture in my mind of 'Exigency'. So sorry but I can assure you it was as brilliantly performed as the rest. Please help me out if you were there.
JB (Salaam) was choreographed by Emily Bowman. The live music was brought to life by a percussionist (Mathew Cole) and cellist (Julian Wong), with amazing deep, mournful vocal tones from Kristiina Tabur. Designer Olivia Tartaglia has created a feast for the eyes.
Dressed in scarlet body stockings and matching baggy trousers the dancers had an Indonesian appearance. One girl makes repetitive advances to a young man who repeatedly rejects her. Eventually he became attracted, however the girl dies and being much revered ascends into Heaven.
A very poignant and moving piece. Perfectly presented.
K (based on Kafka’s ‘The Trial’) was choreographed by Louise Honeybul, with music by Daniel Symons. Designer Lance Kershaw-Ladu.
The dancers, girls dressed in rust coloured dresses and boys in white shirts and black trousers, tremble as the powerful motors start up. The clanking of the engines and the rhythmic pulse of the mechanics set the pace for this almost robotic performance.
The machinery symbolises the legal process which, when started, ploughs its own way and cannot be stopped. A body-wracking style of delivery. Excellent.
Nautilus choreographed by Annabel Saies and music composed by Ben Yap. Designer Charlotte Gee.
In an azure coloured top and diaphanous skirt, a fisher is casting her line. Slowly she sinks into the ocean. The plopping of the water, the gurgling of the air bubbles can be heard in the music. She sinks deeper into the water. The surrounding fish weave their way around her. The fronds sway in the undercurrents as the deep-sea monsters wriggle their way around the sea bottom.
The mathematical sequence demonstrated by the dancers shows how in life numbers grow, both linearly and in a spiral (the Fibonacci sequence). Tree branches dividing into smaller twigs, rabbits multiplying all follow this elegant progression.
The dance arrangement flowed like the delicate structures it represented. A visually beautiful performance.
Frenzy choreographed by Emma Harrison is performed to the music of Daniel Symons. Designer Stephanie Lazenby.
On a dark wet night, the rougher, homeless elements of society walk the streets looking for somewhere to stay. As they become more drunk and drugged, their behaviour becomes more erratic and dangerous. Fights occur. Can there be a winner, or are all losers?
Although based on the Greek female followers of Dionysus, this routine could be just a relevant to Northbridge today. Thought provoking and powerful.
all the abstract and intangible things choreographed by Lily May Roberts with lively music by Matt Wright and Chris Wright. Designer Hannah Metternick-Jones.
A young girl wakes to face another day. To a short piece of prose read by Lily May Roberts, the girl struggles out of bed and with dance movements to the style of Auslan, she describes how she feels as her senses kick in.
She pinches herself to make sure that she is real before setting off to a humdrum routine in the office. The workers all dressed in blackbody stockings and short beige culottes, all work in harmony. There can be no room for individual expression. Then a love affair develops. Hundreds of origami paper doves descend from the ceiling, as a passage from the Ethan Hawke’s 2001 film ‘Waking Life’ is played – Could this film be the initiative behind this clever routine?
A very slick sequence, with perfect synchronisation of the dancers as they move to carry out their everyday manual tasks. An unusual use of dancing hands and arms.
The Call was choreographed by Michael Smith, and set to the music from Kingsley Reeve. Design by Brie-Ann Rutter.
It is Uganda soon after its independence in October 1962. The villagers are dressed in worn out, clothes perforated by bullet holes. The soldiers are shooting anyone in sight. The people rise up only to be slain. One of the leaders is crucified; another (in a wonderfully moving scene) is strung up.
Clever use of white silks hanging from the roof. A magnificent male dancer carries out Tissu descents, before eventually being left hanging dead, upside down – the victim of the regime.
Disturbing memories of 50 years ago, which show how, even today, the world hasn’t moved on. There is still extreme cruelty and nations divided. An exceptionally powerful piece. Very clever.
Exigency choreographed by Tahlia Russell. Music by Daniel Symons and designed by Georgia Metternick-Jones
Again my apologies.
Photons is choreographed by André Franck Bauer, with music by William Brown and design by Sarah Duyvestyn.
A very bright spot light picks out the tightly packed group. Then like a break in snooker all of the photons fly apart and ‘bounce around the stage. They collide and blend, only to break up and again become free.
The movement is lively and filled with sparkle as the musical techno background crackles away. A bright and exciting piece.
It’s just a ride choreographed by Toby Derrick, to the composition of Michael Terren, with Olivia Tartaglia’s bright design.
In his 1993 ‘Revelations’ presentation, Bill Hicks described ‘a fun park ride’ and how it could start as fun but slowly it become annoying. How a ride can be for pleasure, or one can be taken for a ride.
We see the innocent being ‘taken for a ride’ through drink and drugs.
As we watch the people start with smiles on their faces, they move happy and rhythmically, before becoming sick and feeling unwell. In the rapid final sequence, again to Hick’s reading, we see the people alternating from joy to fear and loathing.
A raw routine that spells out how happiness can change quickly to trauma at the behest of the media. Clever concept, wonderfully portrayed.
Involuntary choreographed by Tess Feldman is set to the music of Connor McLeod.
A young woman lies prone on the floor. Has her lover just left her? To a downpour of water she awakes to reality. What has happened?
A group of dancers, all dressed in short white slips and pyjamas, bring her confused thoughts to life. Her regrets. Does she really want to be here still? She shivers in the intense cold as she tries to escape the memories.
The things actors do for art! Absolutely saturated, this wonderful dancer got off the floor and carried on with her 10-minute complex routine. Stunning.
A brilliant end to a series of ten amazingly performed dance sequences. The variety offered in this two and a half hour spectacular is amazing, from the soft love sequences to the powerful, pounding mechanics. The dancing ranged from a delicate blend of ballet to a piece that verged on rap. Something for everyone.
Chris Taylor and Chris Kerr superbly conceived the lighting for all ten acts. With a fine blend of overhead pinpoint spotlights and an array of flood stands, at floor level, hidden in the wings, the maximum body movement was portrayed.
On this, Gene Kelly’s 100th birthday, treat yourselves and see the real thing, live, presented with skill, emotion and amazing movement. Not interested in dancing? Give it a try. Prepare to be stunned by total perfection. Many congratulations.
‘Breaking Out’ is the latest spectacular from WAAPA’s third year dance students, set to original music composed and produced by WAAPA’s Composition and Music Technology students. This delightful show, for all ages, can be seen at the Dolphin Theatre, University of WA, Stirling Highway, Crawley each night until Friday 24th August with a matinee on Saturday 25th at 2.00 pm.
I will apologise in advance for any wrong interpretation of the performances, but these magnificent dancers are there to bring entertainment and to please the masses, if the audience get the wrong message but are thrilled by what they see, then I am sure that the performers will still be more than satisfied.
As actors will know, I do not take notes when reviewing, and unfortunately I have totally lost the picture in my mind of 'Exigency'. So sorry but I can assure you it was as brilliantly performed as the rest. Please help me out if you were there.
JB (Salaam) was choreographed by Emily Bowman. The live music was brought to life by a percussionist (Mathew Cole) and cellist (Julian Wong), with amazing deep, mournful vocal tones from Kristiina Tabur. Designer Olivia Tartaglia has created a feast for the eyes.
Dressed in scarlet body stockings and matching baggy trousers the dancers had an Indonesian appearance. One girl makes repetitive advances to a young man who repeatedly rejects her. Eventually he became attracted, however the girl dies and being much revered ascends into Heaven.
A very poignant and moving piece. Perfectly presented.
K (based on Kafka’s ‘The Trial’) was choreographed by Louise Honeybul, with music by Daniel Symons. Designer Lance Kershaw-Ladu.
The dancers, girls dressed in rust coloured dresses and boys in white shirts and black trousers, tremble as the powerful motors start up. The clanking of the engines and the rhythmic pulse of the mechanics set the pace for this almost robotic performance.
The machinery symbolises the legal process which, when started, ploughs its own way and cannot be stopped. A body-wracking style of delivery. Excellent.
Nautilus choreographed by Annabel Saies and music composed by Ben Yap. Designer Charlotte Gee.
In an azure coloured top and diaphanous skirt, a fisher is casting her line. Slowly she sinks into the ocean. The plopping of the water, the gurgling of the air bubbles can be heard in the music. She sinks deeper into the water. The surrounding fish weave their way around her. The fronds sway in the undercurrents as the deep-sea monsters wriggle their way around the sea bottom.
The mathematical sequence demonstrated by the dancers shows how in life numbers grow, both linearly and in a spiral (the Fibonacci sequence). Tree branches dividing into smaller twigs, rabbits multiplying all follow this elegant progression.
The dance arrangement flowed like the delicate structures it represented. A visually beautiful performance.
Frenzy choreographed by Emma Harrison is performed to the music of Daniel Symons. Designer Stephanie Lazenby.
On a dark wet night, the rougher, homeless elements of society walk the streets looking for somewhere to stay. As they become more drunk and drugged, their behaviour becomes more erratic and dangerous. Fights occur. Can there be a winner, or are all losers?
Although based on the Greek female followers of Dionysus, this routine could be just a relevant to Northbridge today. Thought provoking and powerful.
all the abstract and intangible things choreographed by Lily May Roberts with lively music by Matt Wright and Chris Wright. Designer Hannah Metternick-Jones.
A young girl wakes to face another day. To a short piece of prose read by Lily May Roberts, the girl struggles out of bed and with dance movements to the style of Auslan, she describes how she feels as her senses kick in.
She pinches herself to make sure that she is real before setting off to a humdrum routine in the office. The workers all dressed in blackbody stockings and short beige culottes, all work in harmony. There can be no room for individual expression. Then a love affair develops. Hundreds of origami paper doves descend from the ceiling, as a passage from the Ethan Hawke’s 2001 film ‘Waking Life’ is played – Could this film be the initiative behind this clever routine?
A very slick sequence, with perfect synchronisation of the dancers as they move to carry out their everyday manual tasks. An unusual use of dancing hands and arms.
The Call was choreographed by Michael Smith, and set to the music from Kingsley Reeve. Design by Brie-Ann Rutter.
It is Uganda soon after its independence in October 1962. The villagers are dressed in worn out, clothes perforated by bullet holes. The soldiers are shooting anyone in sight. The people rise up only to be slain. One of the leaders is crucified; another (in a wonderfully moving scene) is strung up.
Clever use of white silks hanging from the roof. A magnificent male dancer carries out Tissu descents, before eventually being left hanging dead, upside down – the victim of the regime.
Disturbing memories of 50 years ago, which show how, even today, the world hasn’t moved on. There is still extreme cruelty and nations divided. An exceptionally powerful piece. Very clever.
Exigency choreographed by Tahlia Russell. Music by Daniel Symons and designed by Georgia Metternick-Jones
Again my apologies.
Photons is choreographed by André Franck Bauer, with music by William Brown and design by Sarah Duyvestyn.
A very bright spot light picks out the tightly packed group. Then like a break in snooker all of the photons fly apart and ‘bounce around the stage. They collide and blend, only to break up and again become free.
The movement is lively and filled with sparkle as the musical techno background crackles away. A bright and exciting piece.
It’s just a ride choreographed by Toby Derrick, to the composition of Michael Terren, with Olivia Tartaglia’s bright design.
In his 1993 ‘Revelations’ presentation, Bill Hicks described ‘a fun park ride’ and how it could start as fun but slowly it become annoying. How a ride can be for pleasure, or one can be taken for a ride.
We see the innocent being ‘taken for a ride’ through drink and drugs.
As we watch the people start with smiles on their faces, they move happy and rhythmically, before becoming sick and feeling unwell. In the rapid final sequence, again to Hick’s reading, we see the people alternating from joy to fear and loathing.
A raw routine that spells out how happiness can change quickly to trauma at the behest of the media. Clever concept, wonderfully portrayed.
Involuntary choreographed by Tess Feldman is set to the music of Connor McLeod.
A young woman lies prone on the floor. Has her lover just left her? To a downpour of water she awakes to reality. What has happened?
A group of dancers, all dressed in short white slips and pyjamas, bring her confused thoughts to life. Her regrets. Does she really want to be here still? She shivers in the intense cold as she tries to escape the memories.
The things actors do for art! Absolutely saturated, this wonderful dancer got off the floor and carried on with her 10-minute complex routine. Stunning.
A brilliant end to a series of ten amazingly performed dance sequences. The variety offered in this two and a half hour spectacular is amazing, from the soft love sequences to the powerful, pounding mechanics. The dancing ranged from a delicate blend of ballet to a piece that verged on rap. Something for everyone.
Chris Taylor and Chris Kerr superbly conceived the lighting for all ten acts. With a fine blend of overhead pinpoint spotlights and an array of flood stands, at floor level, hidden in the wings, the maximum body movement was portrayed.
On this, Gene Kelly’s 100th birthday, treat yourselves and see the real thing, live, presented with skill, emotion and amazing movement. Not interested in dancing? Give it a try. Prepare to be stunned by total perfection. Many congratulations.