Black, is a trio of short works from three leading choreographers: Natalie Weir (EDC), Liu Qi (GDMC) and Xing Liang (Hong Kong).
If this had been a reality TV show with two rival dance companies competing in a battle to the end, which one would have been voted off first? And what of the three choreographers – each tasked with developing a compelling standalone piece that would embody both the differences and similarities of the collaborators - Guangdong Modern Dance Company and Brisbane’s Expressions Dance Company? Thankfully no one was asked to make the call with both companies delivering outstanding ensemble pieces – but such was the competition between these exemplars of dance as they weaved their magic in this trio of works.
Sumeru - GMDC
Sumeru, the opening work by GMDC resident choreographer Liu Qi uses the cosmology of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain philosophy to explore the metaphysical via the physical. Based on an ancient saying that a grain as tiny as a mustard seed can reveal all the wonders of Mount Sumeru - a sacred five peaked mountain considered to be the center of the spiritual universes - the work is a series of set pieces that flow seamlessly from one to the other.The repetitive but elegant theme of using the fingertips to pick a grain from the air defines each segment with the neutral design, lighting and staging creating a dynamic atmosphere.
Don’t – Expressions Dance Company
Natalie Weir’s Don’t opens with Richard Causer, bare chested in tight black jeans gyrating and twisting in a sensual and sinuous manipulation of his torso – the fluid movements and his toned physique simply spellbinding.Don’t explores the emotional power of words – those we should have uttered or wished we hadn’t. There is a sense of the unspoken as the dancers position themselves along the rectangular swaths of light that span the stage, suggesting the rollout of words across a page.
Slowly, the words reveal themselves as black cut-outs - singular letters assembled to read ‘Stay’, ‘Go’ and ‘Don't’. The emotional tension of this is piece is driven by the sheer energy of the dancers who move effortlessly between furious, high octane movements to an almost shimmering tranquility, yielding some stunning passages.
Black – Expressions Dance Company and GMDC
Black is the third and final piece in this trio of works and is a collaboration with Guangdong Modern Dance Company (GMDC), and EDC who spent four weeks in Guangzhou in 2015, with respected Hong Kong-based choreographer Xing Liang.Using 15 dancers from GMDC and seven dancers from EDC, Ling explores the colour black - a mysterious colour that’s full of the unknown and infinite possibility. A colour that possesses ‘dreamlike, fleeting and ineffable charm’. In this physically demanding and fast paced piece, Xing Liang, uses all 22 dancers to brilliant effect – using materials and textures seen in their lives, such as architecture, poetry and experience to deliver a collage of movement that is both engaging and inspiring - and proof of the power of collaborative performance.
Black is a stunning and satisfying trio of experiences for lovers of contemporary dance.
