360 Degrees gave us an engaging night of contemporary dance, held where one of our newest creative spaces is making its mark on the Sydney arts scene. As a venue, CarriageWorks was perfect to create the atmosphere in which the night began. To open, Shaun Parker created a mesmerising piece on relationships which was accompanied by a beautiful, ethereal sound scape that was played live, with both musicians and dancers up on scaffolding as the audience watched from below. The piece was well crafted, with repetition being one of the choreographic tools that kept us wanting more. Lighting and the use of shadow projection at one end of the space added to the atmosphere. The piece was a really beautiful and moving start to the night.
Inside the theatre, the real show began. And what a great show. There were so many highlight moments. One moment I wanted to savour and digest, and then five more would happen before I could fully grasp what I had just seen. There was some beautiful partner work, stunning lifts and great energy amongst the dancers. I would not say that there was much movement vocabulary that I had not seen before, but the flow and journey of the choreography was very interesting. There were definitely some stories to follow and as each section flowed seamlessly to the next, it was clear that our national contemporary dance company is on an exciting new journey. What is so interesting about this company is that it is full of very individual dancers, who relate and work with each other so well, but with such a uniqueness about every artist.
Trailer 360 Degrees, Sydney Dance Company.
Video by Stella Motion Pictures featured on You Tube
The accompaniment and choice of sound was fantastic. It was captivating and exciting and helped portray the journey of the choreography. The lighting was very complimentary to the piece and could have easily stood alone. Interestingly patterned costumes added to the whole effect.
Lighting rigs began the piece on the stage. It was great to see the lighting play a strong part in the choreography. The use of mirrors to create atmosphere and effect was also very interesting. The people you saw reflected in the mirrors seemed to be not only the extensions of those they reflected, but were almost completely different people. This was very clever and captivating.
Rafael Bonachela created a very interesting and engaging night of dance, taking the dancers of Sydney Dance Company towards a new and exciting future. I look forward to seeing what Bonachela will continue to bring to the world stage, and where his amazing creativity will take him.
Read more about Rafael Bonachela....see his interview with Dance Informa’s Dolce Fisher. Click Here
Dance Informa is produce by dsearle Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved. disclaimer
Banner Photo of Sydney Dance Company by Jez Smith.
