Twist of Sand featured a beautiful partnership of costuming and lighting as the dancers used lights to create a reflection from the costumes, made from giant sequins. This created the effect of sunlight hitting the water, immediately taking us to the ocean.  There was wonderful use of props and multimedia, strengthing the theme of the work, such as long curtains with fine strips of fabric that created the effect of fish swimming in a reef as the dancers weaved in and out of them. The dancers filmed underwater sequences and it created a calm atmosphere, much like when you sit on the beach and just listen to the ocean.  Each dancer was neat and in unison, and I particularly enjoyed the sections were they danced in formation like a school of fish.

Martin Del Amo created What’s to Come, also in collaboration with the dancers. Who would ever have thought of creating a dance in slow motion? I had never seen anything like it until I saw What’s to Come. Del Amo’s  work centred around the theme of the unpredictability of the next moment - something we can all relate to as we never quite know what the future holds. The dancers really captured the essence of the quality of each movement by being smooth and controlled. Each movement was performed with intent and looked effortless. The piece was very mesmerising and I appreciated the work, but I did feel that it was a little long with about 10 minutes of slow motion movement. My attention span dwindled and my mind began to wander. I imagined what the rehearsals would have been like.

Fiona Malone’s Covet was somewhat of a personal journey of the dancers. It explored the theme of what drives people and asked “what if all of our needs and greeds were removed from our lives?”  The dancers really explored personal insecurities, with motives and dialogue developed for each dancer. This piece was both entertaining for the audience and thought provoking. I found the ‘Just an Inch’ and ‘Feet’ sections fun and creative. I did think some of the music choices were a little different, but I liked how the work began and then reversed the process with a simple ending to an enjoyable piece.

To end the show we were given Strings of Emotion choreographed by Mike Van Loon. The work was inspired by a series of cello compositions written by David Darling. After reading the program I was excited to see and hear the music, but I was a little disappointed with the work. I felt that it lacked the use of dynamics and that the use of shape wasn’t as interesting as it could have been. However, I did find some sections fascinating and I enjoyed the choreography for the solo section.

What 4Gound showed me was that Pulse8 is providing a great nourishing ground for Sydney dancers, as the company goes from strength to strength. Sarah-Vyne Vassallo this year has become Pulse8’s Artist in Resident, after last year creating Freeway for Pulse8. The opportunity that Kay has given her has certainly reaped fruit with Sarah-Vyne’s work appearing in both Short Sweet & Dance and in DirtyFeet’s Under the Weather.

I look forward to seeing what Pulse8, under the team of Armstrong and Vassallo, will continue to produce.