Green Room Awards Winners

The Green Room Awards were announced today in a ceremony at the Playhouse. The dance category's winners are posted below. (Excuse the font - I pasted from the Green Room Awards website.)

It's nice to see Gideon Obarzanek's Assembly pick up accolades, as it was the last piece Obarzanek made for Chunky Move before finishing up his post as artistic director (and founder) of the company. With a cast of over 50 performers, including singers from the Victorian Opera choir, it's one of those pieces that transforms pedestrian movements into an extraordinary whole. The power of numbers - so many bodies organised together and working as a large group - has a mesmerising pull and this was well-exploited in the work.

I was really happy to see that Becky, Jodi, John won the Concept and Realisation award. This little gem made by John Jasperse (American), Melbourne girl Rebecca Hilton and Jodi Melnik (American) was my absolute highlight of the Dance Massive season (and probably the whole year.) A post-modern take on how post-modern dancers think about getting older, it's full of humour and wit and brings relevance to dance vocabulary that has the potential to be alienating and academic. Totally fantastic!

Congratulations to all the well-deserving nominees and winners. Keep up the great work!

Betty Pounder Award for Choreography: Gideon Obarzanek, Assembly (Chunky Move / Victorian Opera, presented by Melbourne Festival in association with Sydney Festival & Brisbane Festival)

Design: Toni Maticevski (Costumes), Richard Nylon (Millinery), Matthew Bird (Nest Design & Backdrop), Gavin Brown (Curtain Design) & Benjamin Cisterne (Lighting), Aviary (Phillip Adams BalletLab in association with Melbourne Festival)

Sound and Music Composition and/or Performance: TIE BETWEEN:

Cast of Assembly (Live Performance), Assembly (Chunky Move / Victorian Opera presented by Melbourne Festival in association with Sydney Festival & Brisbane Festival)

AND

Soloists and Victorian Opera Chorus & Orchestra Victoria (Live Performance), Requiem (The Australian Ballet)

Male Dancer: Luke George, Body of Work (Luke George / Jo Lloyd / Phillip Adams BalletLab in association with Melbourne Festival)

Female Dancer: Kirsty Martin, The Merry Widow (The Australian Ballet)

Ensemble: Concerto (The Australian Ballet)

Concept & Realisation: Becky, Jodi & John (Becky Hilton, Jodi Melnick & John Jesperse / John Jesperse Company and Dancehouse)

The Peony Pavilion

Ensemble scene from The Peony Pavilion. 

The National Ballet of China last visited Melbourne in 2006 with the epic narrative ballet Raise the Red Lantern. (Click here for a review from Jill Sykes in SMH.) The company is over 50 years old and is China's only national ballet company. Under the artistic directorship of Feng Ying, it's a company exploring contemporary means of expression while also making works directly influenced by traditional arts and stories.

The Peony Pavilion juggles that balance. Its story derives from a 16th century Kun opera, but its choreographer, the thirty-something (I'm guessing) Fei Bo, comes from a modern dance background. The music (played live by the National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra) composed by Guo Wenjing draws liberally from Western canon (Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev.) An opera singer plays a character role and frequently bursts into traditional singing. A German designer named Michael Simon has designed a geometric, minimal set.

There's a lot going on here and it's unlikely that foreign audiences (and probably a lot of Chinese audiences too) can understand or appreciate the subtleties and influences at play in the production. (Grace Edwards' review below does a good job in explaining the different elements.)

Act One of The Peony Pavilion. The white platform raises
and tilts off the ground. Set by Michael Simon. 

Not versed in Chinese opera, I can really only look at the work as a dance piece - a modern ballet. As such, it works in parts and gains strength as it progresses. The central character, Du Liniang, is played by three woman. There's the actual Du Linaing, in the flesh, plus two sides of her conscious. This is difficult to express in dance, but once that is established, The Peony Pavilion is a lot easier to take on board.

Narratively, it's uneven. It's hard to distinguish the three different scenes of the first Act and there is little sense of progression or theatrical pacing. A trained singer (Zhang Yuanyuan) plays the "moral restraint" of Du Liniang and sings traditional opera in several scenes. This breaks the flow of physical movement and doesn't build the work dramatically.

The second act is much more cohesive. For a start, there's less singing and more sense of story telling as each scene has both a distinct setting and choreographic style. There's a hell scene with all the sinners wearing black (of course) and the Infernal judge in a long red beard and eye patch. The choreography, although not particularly unique, has a sense of urgency and swell in its floor bound ensemble sections.

Like most ballets in the Western canon, there's a wedding in The Peony Pavilion. It's a union of mortal and ghost. With the whole company of dancers on deck and clad in red, running in thick circles, crotching low and then extending up in climactic waves, it's the strongest physicality of the evening. The program describes it as an "unconventional" wedding ceremony (which made me feel better since I didn't even recognise a wedding scenario while I was watching it.)

Unconventional is a good description of The Peony Pavilion as a whole. While Fei Bo does rely on extremely familiar choreographic conventions to articulate narrative points (even dropping into downright cliche frequently), so many other elements (set, music, opera) unite in unexpected ways as to fashion a rather unconventional work. Somehow, by the end, it all comes together, albeit oddly, and I found an appreciation for the ballet that I did not have at interval.

Throughout it all, the dancers, from corps de ballet through to principals,  shift seamlessly between restrain and melodrama and are equally adroit with contemporary dance vocabulary and technical pointe work.

 Click here to read my review of The Peony Pavilion in the Herald Sun, 17 March, 2012.

Here are some links to other reviews of The Peony Pavilion from the Melbourne Season.

Grace Edwards in Dance Informa  

Chloe Smethurst in The Age

Jordan Beth Vincent in Talking Pointes

The Peony Pavilion
State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne
15 - 18 March 2012

Clouds Above Berlin

Melanie Lane and Antony Hamilton in Black Project 1.
Photo by Ponch Hawkes.

The local arts community talks a lot about  Melbourne contemporary dance being highly "conceptual." A trite description, perhaps, and hard to actually define, but one that we tend to slap onto any complex or highly intellectualized dance piece. Conceptual in the sense that its motivation or inspiration comes from questions or concepts beyond dance and the piece, as a whole, may have little to do with the physical language of dance. Conceptual in the way that most contemporary arts are conceptual - hybrids of ideas, sources, media aiming to create a synthesized whole.

Local audiences watch a lot of dance works with little actual dancing in them and many works feel more academic and formal than visceral. Recently two different factions of the Green Room Awards - the dance panel (of which I am a member) and the "hybrid" panel - passionately debated which panel should give excellence awards to a substantial number of "dance" works presented in Melbourne in the past year  (BalletLab's Aviary and Chunky Move's Connected - to name a few), highlighting the difficulty in defining where a dance work stops and a "hybrid," (whatever that is) takes over.

I'm glad we have smart, thinking dance makers - dance makers that are excited about exploring ideas and detailed interplays of art forms and willing to take risks with challenging and abstract subjects. (These dance makers, are, of course, not limited to Melbourne nor is the broad "conceptual" label.)

When I have the rare pleasure of experiencing a work where concept and kinaesthesia unite in rare and meaningful harmony, I am ecstatic. It lingers in my mind's eye for days. That experience doesn't happen that frequently - often I see a lot of interesting ideas that don't make for engaging performance, dance or otherwise. Many would say that is the way with all contemporary art and we persevere anyway for that amazing 10% that hits all the right buttons.

These thoughts were in my mind after CloudsAbove Berlin, a double bill of  Antony Hamilton's Black Project 1 and Melanie Lane's Tilted Fawn. They are both works slavishly devoted to abstract concepts that involve carving space. Neither one has all that much "dancing" to speak of and they both are relentless in their slowly unfolding methods. This is not to say that they are unappealing works, on the contrary, Black Project 1 is quite brilliant.

 Hamilton's interest and talent with graffiti and visual design is an ongoing inspiration. We saw it in Blazeblue Oneline (also at Arts House) and he's been building on it throughout subsequent works.
With Black Project 1, Hamiliton sucessfully creates a kinetic performance of the creation of an abstract artwork - and that's as hard to do as it sounds! With its intense blackness and slow build, I can't say that I could sit through it a second time, as it might blow my concentration-meter, but I appreciate its conceptual intent AND follow-thru. Starting from complete stillness and blackness everywhere (and I DO mean blackness - see photo above,) it builds, 45 minutes later, to an environment littered with two and three-dimensional geometric designs.

There's a black floor and big black wall and two dancers (Hamilton and Lane) painted in head to toe black and very dark lighting. It opens (not surprisingly in blackness) with the duo laying together in an off-kilter heap like two fallen soldiers. But by work's end, the space is filled with white circles inside circles on the ground, puffs of aerosal paint cascading along the wall, a mess of white, various-sized balls spilling on the floor and zig-zags of tape strips of intricate patterns. Hamilton and Lane, in some sort of gradually intensifying trance, create the geometries.  They start with micro fits and jerks and miniscule surges of energy through limbs - little electric shocks -  and build momentum through straight, circling propeller arms and bent-knee shunts that travel infintesimally through space. There are extended periods of stillness and bursts of hip-hop-inspired, slow-motion riffs.

Antony Hamilton and Melanie Lane in Black Project 1.
Photo by Ponch Hawkes. 

 Other than blasts of strobe light and the strips of slowly-revealing white tape, Black Project 1  is a visually dark piece with a droning, industrial soundtrack (by Robert Henke, Vainio and Fennesz.) It's definitely not a walk in the park for viewers, but there is reward at the end in the sense of journey, albeit (intentionally) slowly, somewhere. The end is different to the beginning (the dancers have travelled from stage left to right by the finish) and the links from A to B are clear.

 Tilted Fawn doesn't have a similar trajectory. Lane's solo (which opens the program) is also relentless. It's also dark (although not quite so literally black) in colour and tone, but it's missing that satisfaction of trajectory and journey. It so soloptic and dry in its 40 minute long exploration of sounds and spatial architecture that it loses connection to audience.

Lane collaborates with a sound artist named Chris Clark who has assembled different compositions inside cardboard bricks. As Lane arranges the rectangles around the minimalist space into shapes and sculptures (at one time a boat, another a neatly staked rectangle), various sound collages are created. The activity is mono-dynamic and doesn't sustain interest for its lengthy duration. Lane walks around stage, moves boxes, thoughtfully stares at said boxes and occassionally breaks into pedestrian stride to strike a dancerly poses. On a pure "conceptual" level, it's well-trodden territory and the physical activity is too subdued to make an impact.

Melanie Lane stacking bricks in Tilted Fawn.
Photo by Ponch Hawkes.

 I have to admit, by 15 minutes in, I was struggling to connect to the activity in front of me. But then... I returned from a heavy blink and Lane was in the centre of the space in only a nude bodystocking and some rickety platform shoes (covered by the body stocking) contorting into the most amazingly awkward curves, throwing her weight onto the sides of her feet, whacking her ankles and wrists in uncomfortable flexions and supinations. It was awesome - amazing. I was gobsmacked. Where did this grotesque and intriguing body come from? Was this the same women who was building bricks?

After this breakout (maybe 5 minutes or so), Lane went back to brick-stacking with the same pedestrian intention and low-energy dynamic as before. And she kept doing this for what seemed like a very long time. Then there was a black out and it ended.

In theory, "concepts" are cool- but watching amazingly articulate bodies do things beyond ordinary is, for me, anyway, so much cooler. When concepts and bodies converge - well, that's rare and total coolness.


Clouds Above Berlin
Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall
7 - 11 March, 2012

Infinity

Warumuk - In The Dark Night by Stephen Page in Infinity. Photo by AFP

The Australian Ballet started its 50th year in celebration mode with Infinity. Triple bills are always risky endeavours, as modern works are a harder sell than classics to ballet audiences. Infinity has a lot going for it. It's big names all around - Graeme Murphy, Gideon Obarzanek and Stephen Page - three of Australia's most famous choreographers, all of whom have histories with the company. Three specially commissioned musical scores accompany the pieces. While the works are not all perfect hits in and of themselves, each has plenty to like. Overall, it's an entertaining and substantial evening with plenty of appeal for a broad spectrum of dance lovers.

For me, Obarzanek's There's Definitely a Prince Involved was the highlight. A tongue in cheek deconstruction of something dear to the heart of of balletomines - Swan Lake, the work involves dancers breaking out of corps roles to ruminate on love and longing while pondering the plot and characters of the traditional ballet. It won't be everyone's cup of tea and audiences are divided on this one for sure. Chunky Move fans will be used to Obarzanek's post-modern take, but those who like to enjoy classical ballet straight may not be amused.


Click here for my review of Infinity in the Herald Sun, 27 Feburary 2012.

Infinity
24 February - 06 March 2012
State Theatre, Art Centre Melbourne


05 -25 April 2012
Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House

Elegy

 Stephen Baynes's Beyond Bach in the Elegy double bill.

I love the The Australian Ballet's mixed bills and would take them over full-length narrative ballets any day. Personal preference really - I enjoy modern ballet. That's probably opposite to the tastes of many of The Australian Ballet's subscribers and patrons. Interest in the classic canon never seems to wane, no matter how many times the company presents different versions of Swan Lake, Giselle and Manon. While the company is in their element in those works, they also shine in dances by hard-hitting 20th/21st century choreographers like Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe, Nacho Duato and Wayne MacGregor.

Elegy is a double bill of choreography by Stephen Baynes. Baynes is The Australian Ballet's resident choreographer and has a distinct, formal style that's not as modern/post-modern as the choreographers mentioned above. He's not out to ruffle feathers in the dance world -  he just makes solid, clean works, often in the neo-classical vein. I have to admit that prior to seeing Elegy I didn't have strong feelings about Baynes' work. Neither dislike nor reverence. I hadn't seen enough to have a real opinion.

The critical and audience comment around Elegy has been mixed. For me it really worked. The two diverse offerings made me appreciate the breath of this quiet achiever. Requiem, the more modern piece integrates a live choir with the dancers which creates a continuous swell and release of emotive movement and voice.  Beyond Bach is more of a classical showcase piece - all gold tones and glamourous set and lots of Bach music, of course. Both dances have a solid surety about themselves. They don't feel like they are trying too hard and their intents and aesthetics are solid. 

Click here for my review of Elegy in the Herald Sun 13 June 2011.

Saltimbanco

Saltimbanco has been around for 20 years. It was made in the days  before Cirque du Soliel was the billion dollar juggernaut that it is today. It was also the first Cirque show to tour Australia and the start of a continued series of visits that have offered Quidam, Alegria and Varekai.

Now Saltimbanco returns, but without the signature Grand Chapiteau that usually houses Cirque shows. This is a touring production that moves from arena to arena in nearly every state. In this format, the show can reach more parts of the country since it's cheaper to tour to established theatres than to nomadically erect a massive tent.

There's argument that the show loses its circus magic transplanted into venues that host tennis championships and rock concerts. Regardless, Cirque has a world-wide populist appeal that can't be denied. Love it or hate it - they have jam-packed shows running everywhere - from Las Vegas to Japan. Here in Melbourne (and more widely in Australia) where we are spoiled with top-class circus like Circus Oz, Acrobat, CIRCA, we know that, despite mass appeal, Cirque Du Soliel is not the only player on the field.

But they are probably the slickest player on the field and they do consistently showcase amazing acrobats, even when their artistry is questionable.  As they have moved into world-domination status, their budgets have grown - the shows have gotten busier and more indulgent, but bigger is not necessarily better. Some audiences have grown tired of all the slickness, all the smoke and mirrors. Even I have been advising people to save their money for Circus Oz's upcoming Steampowered show in June.

Between my recent underwhelming experiences with Cirque and knowing that Saltimbanco was going to be arena, rather than tent style, I didn't have high hopes for Saltimbanco. But I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed it simply because it seemed less busy than the other shows I had seen. Yes, it has exploding colours, over-wrought expression and a psychedelic set of immense proportion, but there is clear focus on the individual acts and the performers are given the time and space to excel. Given its excess, it seems strange to say that Saltimbanco feels simple, but, because of past experience it did.

Thank goodness for that.

Click here for my review of Saltimbanco in the Herald Sun on 27 May 2011.

Circus and Dance in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

While the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is not awash with circus-inspired shows, there have been a few doing the rounds. The two I recently saw are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of success.

Anna "Pocket Rocket" Lumb.
Big shoes to fill: Expose of a 50ft Woman. 

A few circus tricks does not an hour show make. There's a big gap between having a couple of winning acts up your sleeve and being able to create and sustain the theatrical journey of a solo show. Which is why I was so disappointed with Joel Salom in his show Salom's Lot where he essentially padded out a handful of dated juggling acts for an excruciating hour with a delivery that was revved-up far too many volts for the small Sunday night audience at The Deluxe. Maybe if he was performing to a throng in Southbank on a busy summer's day his manic, over-enthusiastic persona would have been appropriate, but here it just felt forced.

Click for my review of Salom's Lot in the Herald Sun, 5 April 2011.

So it was a relief to see Anna Lumb a week later in a more thoughtful show. I first saw Big Shoes to Fill: Expose of a 50 Ft. Woman in the Melbourne Fringe last October. It was exploding with potential and quite, literally, bursting out of a tiny room in the North Melbourne Town Hall. The performing space was so small that Lumb was nearly sitting in the first few rows' laps. It had an intriguing premise and enough feisty physicality combined with good schtick. It was clear that Lumb was on to something.

Since then, she's taken the show on the road (it's just back from Adelaide Fringe) and she's interspersed more text and added a few sections that are entertaining but not doing much to expand on her initial concept. I am not sure this version is any closer to truly exploiting the rich 50 ft woman idea, but it is a lot of fun and it holds together with its kitschy mix of high-level skill, daggy dancing, storytelling and hula-hooping.

Click here for my review of Big Shoes to Fill: Expose of a 50 ft Woman in the Herald Sun, 17 April 2011.

Tom Roden and Pete Shenton of New Art Club.

Dance is not something that you usually find in MICF,  so Big Bag of Boom from the UK-based New Art Club is unique festival fare.  The male duo of Tom Roden and Pete Shenton are both fully trained contemporary dancers who have found themselves creating dance-based comedy shows over the past decade. They have hit the sweet spot in appealing to main stream audiences while keeping the dance intelligentsia in stitches. Big Bag of Boom is apparently a "best of" show, but since Melbourne has never seen them, it was all new material to us. For my money, it's most successful when it's alluding to dance history and the nature of choreographic process (especially sending up the importance that choreographers place on abstract movement) and less exciting when it's stuck in more one-dimensional cheap laughs. It's heartening that they have found such broad audiences for a subject that many find esoteric. I'd be curious to know if they have converted any of their lay audience members into contemporary dance aficionados.

Salom's Lot and Big Shoes to Fill and Big Bag of Boom
Melbourne International Comedy Festival 
Venues throughout Melbourne
31 March - 24 April 2011