Image: The Dream Dance Company in The Secret Society photograph courtesy of The Dream Dance Company.
Directed by Marko Panzic, this is the Dream Dance Company’s second production following on from Genesis last year.
Technically it was sleek, sophisticated and exuberant with great timing and pacing. The athletic and demanding choreography by internationally renowned Candace Brown was all hip/hop /MTV with a fusion of jazz (think Michael Jackson) melting sounds and movement. The choreography included angular elbows, twirling wrists and occasional explosive jumps. Grainy black and white film footage is blended into the work – hints of film noir – as we meet the A-list Secret Society. Latin-American/ballroom was also included in the film footage.
In the film segments we follow the Secret Society in a slick car to a large castle-like venue. They sashay around some of the building, discovering a ballroom, a rave party and the throbbing dance floor in the basement. The narrative follows that the Secret Society are all seeking their ‘fifteen minutes of fame‘. There are hints of The Picture of Dorian Gray in the mood of the film segment. We see the glitzy, glamorous outward appearance but also the hidden fracturing relationships.
The ensemble of dancers were excellent and performed with incredible breathless energy. There were a few excellent short solos with a special mention to Dayton Tavares, Shivawn Joubert, Anti Fischer and Cat Santos. But mostly it was impassioned ensemble work at its best. With tongue in cheer performances – the women as sexy sirens and the men as cool and suave (with quite a bit of crotch grabbing).
The music was over-loud and blared; pulsated and throbbed rhythmically. Jeremy Koch’s most impressive lighting was slickly brilliant but at times the audience was blinded by the mesmerizing effects. A sultry trio of women at one point were dramatically lit with red. The slinky costumes were mostly in black and white with the exception of a bright and colourful UV lighting section.
Dream Dance Company’s The Secret Society was vibrant and exuberantly performed with great commitment and was greeted with hysterical cheering at the end (which was widely encouraged and disappointed me slightly). However it is a performance geared for the younger generation – with which the house was full – and they were screaming and cheering and gave it a rapturous reception.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Dream Dance Company in The Secret Society
Director Marko Panzic
Choreography Candace Brown
Lighting and Production Director Jeremy Koch
NIDA
13-17 July 2016​
