Supermodern Dance of Distraction

a most interesting show at Parramatta
here's what I said for Sydney Arts Guide 
http://sydneyartsguide.com/View-Review.asp?ReviewID=1029

Fast, fascinating and fluid, this is a delightful work that showcases four excellent dancers. Choreographer Anton has brought together four terrific dancers ( Kristina Chan, Robbie Curtis, Sophia Ndaba, Timothy Ohl) in a work that is a collage of highly skilled yet very accessible dance, which is embodied by movement that is inspired by the fast paced multi tasking world we live in.

The dancer's various characters are caught between themselves and the rapid pace and change of today's world. In a humourous way the work also examines the idea of personal ideology and the concept of personal space. It also looks at human experience within the social structure of a group or couple,  and blurs the borders between physical and conceptual space.

Some of Anton's marvellous choreography uses repeated phrases of small everyday movements ( twitches, a hand…) and can be quite sculptural or like exploding stars. In other sections it can be robotic and extremely controlled. This is contrasted with a section that has ecstatic jumps .Each of the four dancers (who are in casual street clothes) have small showy solos . Fragments of the work are reminiscent of Chunky Moves'  'I Like This' and Murphy's 'Poppy''.

One segment examines how we see ourselves and how we are viewed by others in society - large white 'picture frames' are manipulated and 'posed' in. This section leads to a segment where one of the characters seemingly has nightmares and is unsympathetically treated by the others. There is also a section that uses the idea of looking at yourself in the mirror and reflections that leads to a wonderful, quite difficult pas de deux with the dancers ending up kissing passionately through the piece of glass. There are some 'cool' explosive martial arts like pirrouettes and jumps for the men included. Some use is made of mirroring /echoing in pairs at various points.

In another funny segment towards the end, that the audience loved, the dancers become various sorts of flashing lights (almost in semaphore) and beeps , like a truck reversing, or at an airport, or streetlights. Much fun, as is the pretend use of mobile phones at one stage.

Towards the end there is a section where microphones are used and it is quite rock -star like. In one section there are two large plastic frames that could be doors/beds/barriers that are used to great effect.

The set design is deceptively sparse and simple, almost a 'black box ' studio, but with the lighting rig in a square defining the performance space.

Guy Harding's excellent lighting includes a segment that very effectively uses projections and red with great shadow effects. Some viewers might need to be aware that strobe lighting is used.

The relentless, pounding, driven score, commissioned by Jai Pyne, Nick Wales and Timothy Constable, is very powerful and can be quite overwhelming.

Summing up, this was a mesmerizing, thought provoking work showing off four terrific dancers and exciting choreography. The mostly schools audience that attended the performance I went to were extremely enthusiastic. The silver gliiter/confetti at the end was enchanting - perhaps a symbol of hope?

Anton's SUPERMODERN: DANCE OF DISTRACTION, with a running time of one hour straight through,  opened at the Parramatta Riverside Theatre on Wednesday 28th March and plays until Saturday 31st March, 2012.

© Lynne Lancaster

30th March, 2012

Tags: Sydney Dance Review- Supermodern: Dance of Distraction, Anton, Parramatta Riverside Theatre, Sydney Arts Guide, Lynne Lancaster