The 2012 production, Try Hard, represents another notch on the counting stick of improvement. Forty-eight young dancers, representing the full age range of the company, took part. They gave audiences an assured and polished performance.
Understandably, the choreography, while pleasing and cohesive, was restricted by the ages and degrees of accomplishment of the company members. It involved, for the most part, fairly basic modern dance moves using tropes dating right back to Graham and Humphrey, embellished by somewhat repetitive gymnastic tricks. (I don’t want to see any more cartwheels for a while!) The set comprised the almost obligatory metal tower with platforms. (I wish I had $50 for every show I’ve seen using this in the last few years!) Furthermore, there was plenty of dim lighting – and, of course, a smoke machine. (Yawn.)
Yet the whole thing worked beautifully. Well-chosen music went uncredited in the program, but it was a beautifully blended ‘put-together’ score that expressed the dynamics of the piece perfectly. The simple costumes likewise complemented the work. And we must remember that to these young dancers, the old stuff is new. Their enthusiasm and athleticism carried us along on a tide of exploration. Digging deep into their own fears, anxieties and self-consciousness, the dancers took me back to my own teenage years and reminded me of the many times in life that I have experienced being unsure, self-conscious, stuck, scared and other inevitabilities of being human. Further, we were made to examine the ways we deal with these unwanted visitors. Beat myself up; Try to look cool; Make out I don’t give a shit; Cover up fast – all these and more were brought to life through movement that gave free rein to heartfelt and totally unselfconscious expressions of our insecurities.
Artistic Director Alice Lee Holland mentions in her program note that the older dancers learnt a lot from the younger ones. “Senior company members have been challenged in a way they never would have expected,” she says, “… by the junior company members. Witnessing their total freedom, complete lack of self-consciousness and boundless energy has allowed the teenage dancers to become aware of the inhibitions and blocks they have built up.”
This was cleverly worked into the choreographic schema. As the older dancers acted out anxieties such as not knowing the steps, not having a partner, not knowing how to behave and being stuck in the mud, the younger children crowded around, tugging at hands and costumes, eager to help. The contrast between the freedom, energy and unselfconsciousness of the juniors and the anxiety and self-reproach of the seniors was beautifully reflected in Adam Wheeler’s choreography. The final exuberant scene that celebrated the freedom of being totally genuine was a triumphant tribute to the human spirit.
In short, we have in Try Hard a work that beautifully expresses many aspects of what it means to be human. We can ask no more of any work of art.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
STEPS Youth Dance Company presents
Try Hard
Artistic Director: Alice Lee Holland
Choreographer: Adam Wheeler
Choreographer/Performance Psychologist: Shona Erskine
The Heath Ledger Theatre, Perth
April 26-29
