Gothica

For one night only, those of us lucky enough to attend were treated to this great show, a world premiere as part of the Sydney Fringe. Directed and choreographed by Angela Hamilton Hill, who also performed in the work, Twisted Element Dance Company’s Gothica claims to be a ‘contemporary dance theatre work incorporating dynamic, physical choreography within a dreamy collage of the Medieval/Renaissance period’. I would have said, however, that it seemed to be set more in the 19th century, when the Romantic themes of vampires were in vogue.

The work, which attempts to explore human drives, relationships, emotions, their passions and desires in all their complexity and beauty, begins in a rather traditional way with a lovely young lady discovering and beginning to read a book. But the book is a collection of spells and nightmare visions…

There was no real plot as such – other than the young maiden opening and reading the book – rather a series of short vignettes and a dreamlike, haunted mood, at times lyrical, sometimes chilling.

The ensemble consisted of very strong performers, made up with vampire-like eyes. The women wore black tops with beautifully designed, specially cut skirts that had a peplum/bustle like effect at the back, but which flowed wonderfully.

Hamilton Hills’ choreography was unusual and very demanding. Were there hints of Graeme Murphy in a couple of tiny phrases of movement? It was ballet based but contemporary in style, with a twist. There was lots of rolling floorwork, at certain points undulating yet angular arms, a martial arts-like segment and a use of the deep Graham plie. Some of the lifts were quite challenging. One scene was possibly a harsh quarrel between lovers – or was it that he was being poisoned? In another brief scene, a doll-like female dancer is being manipulated and controlled – this leads to a pas de quatre with most intriguing lifts and balances.  

Some sections featured a mysterious, rather ominous and threatening atmosphere; at one point it was as if the dancers were celebrating a dark ritual. In another scene, one of the women was tethered to a long, stretchy piece of material and unsuccessfully trying to escape, but was guarded and reined in by one of the men. In another short scene the three men (all topless, in black leggings) performed a very strong athletic trio, showing off their strength and agility.  

Gothica was performed with minimal staging; no real sets as such, just black drapes/flats, combined with very effective, dramatic and atmospheric lighting that ranged from a golden glow to blood red.

The end result was a compelling, mesmerizing work; a mix of athletic pas de deux and ominous swirling forms, an abstract exploration of humanity’s journey of spirit during a time of emergence from the dark into the light.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5