Of Earth and Sky

Company: Bangarra Dance Theatre
Venues & dates: To 2 October 2010 - see details at the end of the review

There’s something special about Bangarra. The dance comes from the heart, from a culture steeped in nature, the earth, and legend. The choreography is different. It is not Aboriginal as seen in TV documentaries, neither is it classical ballet, nor pure contemporary movement. It is an intricate blend of all three rather than just a stylistic mix. And it creates lasting memories.

In this world première event we saw Frances Ring’s piece Artefact, which is closer to contemporary dance and Daniel Riley McKinley’s Riley, which is much more ethereal. It was designed as a celebration of the Aboriginal photographer Michael Riley and his Cloud series of images, which was the final series in his life.

Backing both of these relatively short works is a magnificent electronic soundscape from artistic director Stephen Paige. Again there was something mystical in the sounds. Normally, the jangle of electronic music irritates, but, particularly in Riley, I found it compelling listening.

The company as been around for 20 years and, judging by the opening night audience it obviously has a strong following from all walks of life and. However this was the first time I had seen the dancers perform and it was an eye-opening experience. At times the dance was technically flawed, but the movements came from the heart and soul of the company. The two pieces are different in style but similar in feeling. Both tell stories of the spirit of objects, which is a central part of Aboriginal life, one objects of the sky and the other of the earth.

Daniel Riley McKinley, who is, as the program states, related to Michael Riley by land and blood, created Riley, a series of seven dances performed in front of a sky projected onto a large screen. This is his first foray into choreography and at 24 he shows a lot of promise.

On the screen, images taken by Michael Riley were superimposed over the sky as the dance takes place. It is a clever idea that worked well as the dancers created the feeling of the objects; the swirling circles of the boomerang, the buzz and frenetic activity of the locusts …

Two pieces that fascinated me were interpretations of the Bible, one by the women, which spoke of oppression and subservience and the other by the men that spoke of power and fear. 'The Angel' was a powerful piece danced by Waangenga Blanco and Leonard Mickelo with some strong acrobatic lifts. 'Broken Wing' was a poignant piece from Jasmin Shappard who was then joined by the full ensemble for the first half finale, Feather.

Artefact, with six dances, was a created by Francis Rings and was very cleverly executed.

The opening danced was a duet when we saw Daniel Riley McKinley’s dance prowess along with Travis de Vries in a mysterious dance called 'Museum', where intricate movements indicative of being born from the earth made fascinating viewing.

The women’s ensemble then performed a beautiful piece called 'String Bags', with sinuous and again intricate movements to create a wonderful visual. Then the men’s ensemble integrated into the scene with 'Grinding Stones' and then again merged into 'Coolamun' a moving solo from Deborah Brown. Next came some more attractive choreography with 'Bodies'.

Then, in an exceptional finale, 'Weaving', the entire ensemble created an imaginary piece of cloth as they weaved in and out in chessboard like manoeuvres and swayed their bodies with beautiful grace to create a memorable picture. It was the highlight of an exciting night.

There is no doubting the talent and originality of Bangarra. It is a company I will not miss again.

Of Earth and Sky continues its national tour, with the following dates:

SYDNEY - Sydney Opera House
23 July - 28 August 2010

CANBERRA - Canberra Theatre Centre
3-4 September 2010

ADELAIDE - Adelaide Festival Centre
8-11 September 2010

WOLLONGONG - Illawarra Performing Arts Centre
16-18 September 2010

MELBOURNE - The Arts Centre
24 September - 2 October 2010

Eric Scott

To read more of Eric Scott's theatre reviews, check out Absolute Theatre.