Co3’s Carnivale. Photo by Stefan Gosatti
The premiere production for Western Australia’s new flagship contemporary dance company delivers artistic versatility and dynamic physicality in an exciting reveal of Artistic Director Raewyn Hill’s vision. The talents of the core ensemble are put through their paces while the youth cohort remind us that participation and development are key to maintaining a healthy local art form.
Opening with Larissa McGowan’s Transducer, themes of emotion and communication are energetically explored. Mitch Harvey and Ella-Rose Trew impress with their powerful responses throughout, while Katherine Gurr is compelling with her facial expressions and spasming bodily responses to ‘electric shock’ cues hidden within Charlie Chan’s imaginative music. Working together closely, the group explores ideas of conformity and individual self-expression, inclusion and exclusion, with tightly-controlled, explosive bursts of movement. The bright orange costumes and Mark Howett’s bright lighting designs emphasise the detached nature of this work, as well as the physical impressiveness of the individual performers.
As a bonus, the Glimpse of the Co:Youth Ensemble is moved from the foyer into the aisles and across the stage to provide an interlude that is infectious in its charm and enthusiasm. Between the two star choreographers’ work, the lyric-inspired movements are simple but demonstrate the adaptability and showmanship of the young performers.
Gavin Webber’s What’s Left opens with an intriguing tableau of pipes and Talitha Maslin expressing herself through a range of emotions and arm movements. Maslin manages to stay locked in one place and convey the entire gamut of emotional responses evoked by this piece inspired by human action and climate change, in one intensely frustrating solo section. These responses are expanded upon when Andrew Searle and Zachary Lopez join her on stage, with fluid movements and conflicts expressed in organic ways, with props echoing ideas of connection and disconnection. The connections between the industrial stage setting, Kate Harman’s costumes, Ben Ely’s industrial concepts in the music run strongly together, placing demands on the three dancers to provide a smoothly human element.
Co:Youth Ensemble brings Toros after the interval. This massed dance work is a great showcase for the various levels of achievement within the cohort. The steady structure of Ravel’s Bolero rhythms and building intensity allow for different groups to demonstrate various sets of skills, echoing the powerful physical presence of the main performers in their strong body lines and acrobatic sequences. Simple hair and costuming are very effective with the number of bodies moving together, translating the various small moves into a focussed wave of motion. The overall sense is one of dedicated discipline, and excitement at seeing so much young talent involved in contemporary dance.
Remaining on stage after the end of the piece, the Co:Youth Ensemble are gradually joined by the main dancers, who lead them around the stage in various movements until only the nine founding company dancers remain. Influenced by Bolero’s structure and rhythms, Carnivale allows Raewyn Hill to further develop some of her group themes from Toros. The additional skill, strength, speed and stamina of these performers pays off as the intensity progressively builds. Eden Mulhulland’s musical score is rich in beats, featuring Taiko-like drumming, the faint strains of Ravel’s music occasionally break through, barely noticed as we watch bodies leaping, tumbling, spinning and constantly engaging us, challenging us. Lines are tight between performers, synchronised movements are precise and we are left in no doubt that these dancers have the discipline, physiques and know-how to take on the most physically demanding choreography.
Opening with this selection of works makes a bold statement about various forms of strength in this fledgling company with big dreams. With a strong youth cohort carrying on the development work of predecessor company, STEPS, there is fostering of talent in the art form. With top choreographers preparing thrilling, demanding work for performance, Co:3 demonstrates awareness of pushing boundaries and having a corps who can deliver. And speaking of the dancers – the physical strength of each of these talented individuals promises future demanding work presented in enthralling fashion. It will be interesting to see whether more subtle, less physically challenging work will become part of the repertoire, or whether re:Loaded 2015 has laid the groundwork for a truly exciting signature style. Either way, art form and audiences are all the better for the launch of this new company, and we await further developments with anticipation.
Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5​
re:Loaded 2015
Presented by Co3
Choreographers: Raewyn Hill, Larissa McGowan and Gavin Webber
Dance Director: Richard Longbottom
Lighting Designer: Mark Howett
Costume Supervisor: Cherie Hewson
Music: Charlie Chan, Ben Ely, Eden Mulhulland, Maurice Ravel and Marco Shuttle
Performed by Co:Youth Ensemble, Katherine Gurr, Mitch Harvey, Zachary Lopez, Talitha Maslin, Andrew Searle, Russell Thorpe, Ella-Rose Trew, Matthew Tupper and Zoe Wozniak
Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA
28 October – 1 November 2015
