Sydney Dance Company’s triple bill has proved bold and hilarious. It is unusual to find a contemporary dance work quite so humorous, but some of last night’s scenes had audiences laughing very much out loud.
De Novo is comprised of three unique works by different choreographers. First up, Rafael Bonachela’s ‘Emergence’, a collaboration with Aussie songstress Sarah Blasko which utilises the full cast of Sydney Dance Company.
It’s hard to look past the dancers' bodies at first. After a ten-minute window of just “wow”, and gaping at how high their legs go, the dark and frenetic choreography settles in. In his notes, Bonachela describes using strings across the stage during the creative process, with dancers moving over, under and through the spaces between. This energy of escapism remains even with the now minimal stage, and creates an angular and mesmerizing piece of work.
The half-suit-jacket costumes were more distracting than thought provoking, but after a quick change partway through, new cossies and stunning full ensemble performances showed off the dancers flawless skill.
Second up was ‘Fanatic’. Adelaide may be biased, but local choreographer Larissa McGowan’s work was a stellar highlight of the evening. It’s Alien vs. Predator in online geek-dom heaven, all portrayed through contemporary dance. Unusual? Yes. Genius? Quite.
Three SDC dancers embody fan reviews, lines from the film characters, and even aliens themselves, as they switch parts between writhing beasts and over-zealous film buffs. It’s so refreshing to see a dance work play with genre so irreverently and dip in and out of mediums so well. The audience was chuckling and basking in the familiarity of the pop-culture fun, which is exactly what Larissa McGowan intended.
Finally ‘Cacti’ surprises everyone with more tongue-in-cheek hilarity. Looking at “the way we perceive art”, choreographer Alexander Ekman leads us on a narrative trip involving a string quartet, body percussion, giant white cubes and, most importantly, cacti. Again utilising the full company, this complex and curious work pokes fun at contemporary dance, saying the forbidden words, “what does it actually mean?”
Credit must also go to Thomas Visser for particularly striking lighting design and a hand in the beautiful stage setting, alongside Ekman. Brilliantly witty and irreverent, ‘Cacti’ offers a light-heartedness that you rarely find in contemporary dance.
That is the beauty of De Novo, it brings together three completely unique yet vastly innovative works. No doubt this show is a reminder of Sydney Dance Company’s well-earned reputation as a pioneer of the genre, and the choreographers and dancers are to be celebrated for their boldness. And also for how high their legs can go.
The national season continues...
Thu 6 - Sat 8 August – Adelaide Festival Centre
Wed 12 August – Ulumbarra Theatre (Bendigo)
Sat 15 August – Frankston Arts Centre
Thu 20 - Sat 22 August – Theatre Royal Hobart
Thurs 27 August – Princess Theatre (Launceston)
