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Canberra Today 21°/24° | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Sweet appeal of short dance

[box]DANCE
“Short + Sweet Dance”
Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre, season closed.
Reviewed by Samara Purnell [/box]

IN this sold-out season of “Short + Sweet Dance”, in its second year in Canberra, it was pretty clear that of the nine short pieces, the “people’s choice” was going to be “Cuppa” by the Unkempt Dance troupe from Perth.

Deservedly so – the trio’s ‘50s inspired piece was clever, well danced and cute, the girls balancing timing and chemistry along with their teacups.

Two of the strongest pieces were Alison Plevey’s offering, mixing good physicality and strong choreography with humour in “Jane Citizen” and Tanya Voges’ depiction of a couple’s relationship, against the backdrop of a brewing storm.

Her unique approach and thoughtful idea was engaging and one of the most complex pieces, despite relatively undemanding choreography.

A worthy piece from Tegan Jones made good use of space, but as a competent dancer, she would have benefited from more daring choreography.

Established performer Liz Lea choreographed a fairytale performed by Katie Senior, whose work was described as being in a “cross-culture and special needs” context. Her expressive face and movement, as she made her way around a pretty fairy-lit set, created a rich and convincing story.

Despite solid dancing and a nice variety of ideas and diversity, overall the standard was not quite as high as last year. Some of the costuming was disappointing.

Eliza Sanders rightfully won best female dancer and best choreographer for her “Two People, Together and at Once”. The talented Year 12 student created a demanding, energetic piece that displayed maturity in her choreography and concept.

She danced to a great soundtrack in her performance with Natalie Kolobaric.

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Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

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