Pure Movement - Program 2, Trisha Brown Dance Company, Playhouse Theatre, Saturday 25th October 2014

Pure Movement - Program 2, Trisha Brown Dance Company, Playhouse Theatre, Saturday 25th October 2014

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre.

Note there is my original review below and an amendment at the end:

"Pure Movement - Program 2" was presented by Trisha Brown Dance Company at the Playhouse Theatre by the Melbourne Festival.

The program states five works and I am appalled at the lack of respect for audiences that they did not make an announcement to the order of the dance pieces.  Appalled you may ask?  Yes considering my previous feedback about what was on the "Early Works" program.  It should not be a guessing game for audiences to decipher what pieces they are seeing.

I asked one usher at interval what was the running order of the performance.  She opened her program and began to read out the supposed running order as published in the program.   According to the program the first piece was meant to run for 2.5 minutes.  In fact the first piece ran for more like 20 minutes.  I explained that to her. Did she even bother to read the program?  She then tried to tell me that the second piece was "Newark".  Heavens above!  I had seen "Newark" in Program One and explained that to the usher.  She tried to say it was definitely "Newark" and I emphasised that I had seen it on Thursday night and that the dancers wore grey unitards.  She finally back pedalled and said that she could check with her supervisor at the end of the show.

Later at home I had to decipher from the program notes and the Trisha Brown Dance Company website what I had in fact seen. 

I think it is just plain RUDE that you are not given the courtesy to be told what is on the program.  I have paid big money to see all three of their shows.  Do you have to be "in the know" and the inner sanctum to be given this information.  This is why some people think that theatre is elitist due to this sort of behaviour.

The show began at 8.38pm for a scheduled start time of 8.30pm.

You may think that I did not enjoy the show.  I did enjoy the dancing - in fact I loved the dancer's work.  Though they could have selected a better work to finish the evening.

I had to go online to the Trisha Brown Dance Company  website to try to determine the order of the show.  I know she loves sequences and structure but here is my take on it:  The order was published as for example 1,2,3 Interval then 4 and 5.  The actual order was 5,1,3 Interval and 4 and 2.  It should not be so hard for audiences to have to do their own research to know what they are seeing!

"Set and Reset" began Program Two with two large triangles and a square that had film projected onto their white screens from four reel-to-reel projectors suspended above the stage.  The three large shapes rise to become three dimensional shapes: now they are two pyramids with a cube in between.  Still the historical footage is being projected. 

We then see a dancer carried across the stage by three other dancers.  This is reminiscent of Lindsay Kemp's slow crossing from "Flowers."  They wear beautiful translucent costumes designed by Robert Rauschenberg that follow their movements as good dance costumes should. 

In "Set and Reset" the dancers perform phrases with fouettes both a terre and en l'Air. There are wonderful hip sways that build momentum and create releves and create a Michael Chekhov  lightness and ease to the choreography.  There is more pas de deux or double work in this piece.  It is the most balletic piece that I have seen this wonderful company perform and shows a point of difference in Trisha Brown's choreography. 

I loved the way we could see the dancers in the wings awaiting their entrances through the net like tab curtains.  They played with the tab curtains on some of their entrances and exits that allowed the billowing effects to continue.  Some phrases seemed to originate in their elbows for their port de bras and build into fouette turns.  There were moments of sheer brilliance with the unison phrasing as they would sneak up on us and treat us to their magnificent timing.

I loved their curtain call of forming two lines of four and wheeling around.  They would then wheel these two lines of four again to showcase a variation of the ensemble.  They would exit using a similar phrase and re-enter with similar movements.  It was like watching the Radio City Rockettes post modern style.

"Watermotor"  was danced by Neal Beasley.  This short solo received thunderous applause from devotees.  Neal danced with quick shifts in weight and direction.  Some qualities of movement reminded me of the loose and easy style of Twyla Tharp.

"Les Yeux et l'ame" uses music from the opera with a score by Phillipe Rameau.  There are beautiful grey costumes that have a flowing rectangle of fabric at the front like a Grecian uniform.  This is such a magnificent and sophisticated piece of choreography. There are duos, trios and other variations.  Trisha Brown segues into each grouping with a central pulsation (like a group hug) that blooms into yet another variation.  There is a diagram by Trisha Brown as the backdrop.  Sometimes it looks like the dancer replicate some of the shapes form her drawing.  Her dance is such a sketch-a-graph of patterns.  It reminded me of "Tis A Goodly Sport" at one stage with its playfulness and the Baroque music.

There were pairings with heads being supported and gentle framing. The music was so bouncy and so relaxing and comforting.  It was pure soul food.

Interval/intermission/break!

 "Rogues" was danced by Lee Serle and Neal Beasley. One wore a blue sleeveless t-shirt and the other wore a blue t-shirt unlike the website that has them in orange and greenish colours.  This was danced at times to a harmonica.  The elbows are accentuated for their angularity.  There seemed to be a signature Jose Limon phrase with retrogrades and inversions.  I loved the sweeping feel with the swinging arms and the masculinity of the piece.  This showed great strength and the most masculine of her choreography in the three programs.

"Newark" finished the program and was also in Program One.  However, "Newark" starts with the two men and then two women enter, then another woman.  We build to many variations of the ensemble.  The flat back with the arms in second with a twist is a signature movement.  Lunges are prominent with turned in attitudes derriere.  I was so excited that I saw a developpe en avant as it stood out.  It stood to me as it highlight the limited vocabulary of this piece.

"Newark" had great partner work with the balances of the women on the men's knees.  The women are upside down and they suspend in space until they roll forward.  I was concerned though, that the rolls forward were a little flat-backed and needed more of a rolling motion to make contact with the ground or otherwise could lead to injury.  I had the same feeling at both performances.

Some of the floor work by the men is like a contemporary version of the Cossack dance/tricks. 

"Newark" is better on the second viewing but makes you feel let down as we do not finish on a high as we have seen it before. Any of the other three ensemble pieces in this program would have been the better choice to conclude the evening.

Olsi Gjeci and Stuart Shugg are the two men who dance with the same breath. Jamie Scott reminds me of Marg Downey the Australian actress.  She has such a lovely flow about her dancing.  Leah Ives has an assurance and confidence in her ability to create different qualities.  Tara Lorenzen has a lovely line, lightness and finish to her work.  She is a dynamo and has a cheeky glint in her eye.  Cecily Campbell appears at time to waft into space with her ability to change dynamic shifts, from being a feather to a bullet.

Overall, "Pure Movement - Program 2" was a good program but the order does not do them justice.  Plus it is not fair on the paying public to not know what they are seeing.  As my partner said it did not worry him as they all blurred into one another.  Though we both agree that some people enjoy reading about what they are seeing.  Also knowing the order of what you are seeing is important to be able to give context and try to understand each piece.

It should not be a guessing game about what I am seeing.  Even Merce Cunningham would announce the order of his work when they would randomly alter the order.  It is just plain courtesy and respect for the paying audience.

"Pure Movement - Program 2" gets a 7.5/10.

 

Amendment to my review written late Sunday 26th October 2014:

I went to the theatre on Sunday 26th October to see "If These Walls Could Talk" and spoke to a supervisor, Stephen about the usher incident on Saturday night.  He mentioned that there was an insert for the program.  I said that we never received an insert in our program.  My partner did not get the insert in his program.  Stephen offered to get an insert for me and it was the order that I worked out above it correct.  My experience would have been different had we received an insert in the program or an announcement made.

I do not retract what I said above from my experience but emphasise that having a consistent positive experience is my aim for all theatre goers.