Choreographed
by Nerida Matthaei
Musical
Direction by Nicole Canham
Courtyard
Studio – Canberra Theatre Centre.
14th
– 17th March 2012
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
Choreographer,
Nerida Matthaei and musician, Nicole Canham, have combined their talents to devise
an imaginative, entertaining and good-humoured new dance work.
Using a book
on dance etiquette, published in 1925, as their starting point, and the
additional talents of dancers, Leah Shelton and Alex Bryce, they’ve interpreted
and de-constructed the advice, in often
hilarious and startling ways.
The
Courtyard Studios were converted into a glitzy dance studio for the program, complete
with twinkling lights and functioning bar from which the audience was
encouraged to purchase pre-show drinks and chat with the performers already
dressed in 1920’s inspired costumes.
The
performance commenced with one surprised audience member being given a cleverly
choreographed, introductory dance lesson by Leah Shelton, drawing on quotes
from the book. These quotes set the tone and theme for the rest of the
performance which consisted of a series
of pas de trios, pas de deux and solos inspired by the theme.
Nerida
Matthaei’s choreography, particularly in the first half, was clever, complex, demanding,
and mostly, beautifully danced. Matthaei, Leah Shelton and Alex Bryce are all
experienced professional dancers, each exhibiting excellent techniques and
individual dance personalities which were beautifully displayed by Matthaei’s
choreography. Among the many highlights was a clever pas de
trios in which Matthaei attempted to intrude between Shelton and Bryce, and a
brilliant catfight between Matthaei and Shelton. Alex Bryce’s solos allowed him
to show off his extraordinary flexibility and delightfully mobile face.
Nicole
Canham is the least experienced dancer of the group, but her contribution to
the work was absolutely integral. Some sections
were danced to recorded music, some of which came from the 1920’s. The rest was
either contemporary or specially written. At various points Canham played live clarinet
to a recorded background while negotiating choreography, and in one instance she
and Shelton played clarinet and wind-organ for a solo danced by Matthaei. The
results were often surprising, always fascinating
and quite intriguing.
It was a
pity however that the work was interrupted by an interval, as this allowed the mood to dissipate somewhat, and
given that the second half was very short, and the content rather less interesting than in the
first, allowed the impression that perhaps the ideas had run out.
