Decadance presented by Strut Dance in association with Ausdance WA. Photograph by Maxim Warrat.
A dishevelled man on the stage – almost formally dressed in black suit – the lights are still on and the packed-out audience is animatedly chatting. He seems to be almost stumbling now, uncertainly, like a drunken late night in Northbridge with some faux air punches. The lights are dimming and the audience’s attention is caught as Decadance Perth slips into our consciousness, and our sole dancer is joined by another at the back of stage.She is copying him: with staggering, shaking moves; then suddenly another dancer is doing the same – they are copying him. The audience tentatively laughs as another dancer comes on stage; three, four, eight and now twelve! Finally sixteen of the STRUT Dance Company performers are on stage in a rough square shape emulating this somewhat drunk dance style. It is hilarious and engaging. Welcome to the MoveMe Festival celebrating dance and movement in the City of Perth this spring.
STRUT Dance Company is the national centre for choreographic development based in Perth, WA and strives for excellence for dance artists across Australia. Directed by Paul Selwyn Norton they develop new work and contemporary dance choreography, with Decadance Perth choreographed by world renowned Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin and coming together over several years. Naharin has been hailed as one of the world’s preeminent contemporary choreographers and has been Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company since 1990. Norton worked with him in 1996, and fortunately for Perth convinced him to rework some of his previous works with the STRUT dancers in Decadance. Naharin is known for developing Gaga, an innovative movement language. His works have been performed by major dance companies including Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet Frankfurt, Lyon Opera Ballet, Compañía Nacional de Danza (Spain), the Paris Opera Ballet and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (New York).
The accessibility of Decadance is one of its key attributes. There are immediately comprehensible gestures in the work that the audience can easily understand. For instance in my favourite section, the group of sixteen dancers sits in a semi-circle on chairs half bent over, suddenly leaping up, using repeated universal symbols of body language like striking one’s forehead, stabbing in the guts, clutching one’s groin, abandonment; and then abruptly resume positions. There is a ritualistic African feel to this piece aided by the drum beats in the music; and the cycles and human energy of this section transfix me.
Additionally the ‘democracy of dance’ section when the performers, formal in their black hats descend en masse into the audience to select a co-dancer each. We are treated to at least three different types of dances with audience members on stage – many of whom are suspiciously good dancers it must be said! Some seem to be enjoying themselves so much they are reluctant to leave the stage, but the audience gives them all rapturous applause.
There’s a brief interlude utilising spoken word text: ‘ignore… ignore all… ignore all possible concepts and possibilities….ignore Beethoven…’ etc until ‘just make it babe’ and we segue quickly into a nightclub style scene where the dancers are lit by a warm green late night light as they form a triangle wedge of seated and standing dancers with all the focus on their head and arm movements. They perform their movements, freeze, change, the light captures one angle then another; moments of laughter, silent stares to the audience: it speaks to me of quick edits in music videos, and this is indeed catering well to the younger demographic in the audience. And the audience is rapt!
There are short segments of dance movement that create a different mood aided by lighting and music. During the energetic displays of movement, there is a driving music score including techno, some classical muzak, Dean Martin and an unusual version of the celebratory Israeli folk song Hava Nageela (Let us rejoice) with a driving syncopated beat making it much faster and sexier than I’ve ever heard. There is one piece with three dancers – two women and one man – that beautifully illustrates desire and friendship in the back and forth of their movements. This is counterpointed by two male dancers dancing together in a later section subtly mimicking the male/female dance dynamic but with an interesting contrast.
The ensemble work is quite extraordinary with dancers sometimes seemingly moving in their own bubble of space when doing similar movements to the other dancers, but peripherally aware at the same time so that the coordination of sometimes off beat coordinated movements creates an idea of how the group behaves amidst the strong imperative of still maintaining one’s individuality. The incredibly enthusiastic audience ensured these energetic performers received a number of standing ovations. STRUT Dance Company in Decadance have the chemistry of their group and the joy of choreographer Ohad Naharin to be thankful for.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Decadance
Choreographer Ohad Naharin
Assistants to the Choreographer Rachael Osborne, Guy Shomroni, Hillel Kogan Costume Coordinator Nicole Marrington
Original Light Design Avi Yona Buena
Light Coordinator Mark Howitt
Stage Manager Michael Maclean
STRUT Dance Director Paul Selwyn Norton
Performed by the STRUT Dance Company: Alexander Perrozzi, Asher Bowen-Saunders, Dean Lincoln, Harrison Ritchie-Jones, Jack Ziesing, Jessica Goodfellow, Linton Aberle, May Greenberg, Michael Smith, Natalie Allen, Olympia Kotopoulos, Patrick Weir, Robert Tinning, Viola Iida, Yilin Kong, Zoe Wozniak.
Heath Ledger Theatre at WA State Theatre Centre
As part of MoveMe Festival 2016
15–17 September 2016​
