Threefold delivers on its name, as STEPS’s two senior teams of dancers, Green Company and Militia Company, present three engaging new works developed with choreographers in collaboration with the dancers. Beginning with Couched, by Green Company, examining the many facets of the eponymous piece of furniture in teenage life, Militia Company took a more abstract, sentimental approach to Cor Lacuna before their challenging finale, Scratch the Surface.
Couched had a charming, quirky premise, and the performers used the title prop to great effect in various ensemble routines. From first kisses to sleepover parties to playing computer games, with plenty of other scenarios thrown in, the furniture stayed the centre of the action, at times controlling the larger group routines that ensured the whole of the large stage was employed. The massed dance moves were not perfectly synchronised, instead emphasising each individual’s interpretation of the routine.
The soundtrack and movement of Cor Lacuna were perfectly matched, with intriguing lighting effects working with the simple props of glowing hoops and plush red hearts. The recurring theme of rejected love played its way around the stage with an engaging mix of solo, pair and ensemble dance work.
Scratch the Surface opened with an improvisation reminiscent of a dance class, with strictly disciplined moves… but performed, perfectly, without a mirror! The sheer physical control and patience of the dancers in this segment was astounding. The addition of music and combination of the moves in ensemble and pair work added depth to the routine, but also served to emphasise the technical demands of the opening. As the piece progressed, voiceover statements from the dancers discussed intimate personal thoughts, their beliefs, hopes, passions, thoughts about each other – these contrasting thoughts played over various displays of conflict and cooperation, adding another dimension as they took us beneath the surface of the dance and the pulsing, tumbling bodies on the stage.
All three dance pieces had strong structures, thanks to the experienced choreographers working with the performers, but it was the evidence of a sense of participation and ownership of the material that came through strongly and made Threefold so appealing. Some of the themes may have been quite juvenile, some of the interpretive moves a little obvious, but it all seemed appropriate to the setting and the overwhelming impression was of a group of highly talented and dedicated young performers who will hopefully progress to create and produce original works of their own.
STEPS Youth Dance Theatre has inspired and delighted with their 2013 major production, Threefold.
Rating 3 ½ stars out of 5
Threefold
Presented by STEPS Youth Dance Company
Choreographers: Kynan Hughes, Shona Erskine, James O’Hara, Alice Lee Holland
Assistant choreographer, Scratch the Surface: Isabella Stone
Lighting Designer: Chris Donnelly
Sound Engineer: James Luscombe
Costume construction, Cor Lacuna: Penny Mazzuchelli
Production Manager/Stage Manager: Rhianne Perrie
Artistic Director: Alice Lee Holland
Couched
Choreographed by Kynan Hughes in collaboration with the dancers
Music: Tomas Dvorak, The Andrews Sisters, Juno Reactor, The Books
Performers: Georgia Anderson, Mohammed Berrached, Benjamin Chaisritha, Tanisha Chapman, Caitlin Dear, Hillary Goldsmith, Damian Hinton, Gabe Holton, Jack Jenkins, Yvan Karlsson, Jacinta Larcombe, Shae Larsen, Chanel Livesey, Lillian Longman-Fletcher, Harriet Mactier, Jason Nettle, Alexander Schoenmaekers, Nikki Tarling, Vanessa Tocknell, Emily Tuckwell.
Cor Lacuna
Choreographed by Shona Erskine in collaboration with the dancers
Music: Amon Tobin, Nina Simone, Aphex Twin
Performers: Michelle Aitken, Sophia-Rose Berini, Meagan Boniface, Nicholas Cruse, Cieran Edinger, Lily Gubbay, Billy Halton
Scratch the Surface
Choreographed by Alice Lee Holland and James O’Hara, in collaboration with the dancers
Music: Julianna Barwick, Loscil, Anna Meredith, Kyle Bobby
Performed by Michelle Aitken, Georgina Anderson, Sophia-Rose Berini, Mohammed Berrached, Benjamin Chaisritha, Tanisha Chapman, Caitlin Dear, Hillary Goldsmith, Damian Hinton, Gabe Holton, Jack Jenkins, Yvan Karlsson, Rhiana Katz, Jacinta Larcombe, Chanel Livesey, Claire McCarthy, Jason Nettle, Nikki Tarling, Ellen Thomson, Lauren Tomlinson, Ella Watson-Heath
Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, Perth
1 – 5 August
