Dance / International Day of Disability Concert, at the Portrait Gallery, December 3. Reviewed by SAMARA PURNELL.

DANCE, movement and performance were in full swing at the Portrait Gallery on Friday (December 3), for International Day of Persons with a Disability. 

ZEST – dance for Parkinsons – performed several numbers, beginning with “What a Wonderful World”. Seated-movement such as this, allows people of various ages and with differing levels of mobility to stay moving and stay engaged with others. A covid-inspired “Covid  cleaning caper” was also enthusiastically performed, seated, before “Let’s Twist Again” had the dancers out of their chairs and twisting. The audience clapped along, and faces of both dancers and audience lit up.

Michael Liu, senior adviser to ACT Arts Minister Tara Cheyne, spoke briefly, naming the goals set by the minister to create art in Canberra, to develop the sector and to promote the arts. Liz Lea MC-ed with her usual entertaining banter and an Auslan interpreter accompanied them.

The Chamaeleon Collective sparkled in silver, and the Deaf Butterflies performed in bright shirts – the pretty music gave pause for thought on dancing with a hearing impairment or even in silence.

Performers from The Chamaeleon Collective.

The Deaf Butterflies group.

The Deaf Butterflies.

Performers from ZEST – dance for Parkinsons.

The Stellar Company gave an eight-minute version of Heidi Latsky’s “GLOBAL”, which is performed around the world on International Day of Persons with a Disability.

Performers from Subsdance.

The Stellar Company gave an eight-minute version of Heidi Latsky’s “GLOBAL”, which is performed around the world on International Day of Persons with a Disability. Performers are all dressed in white and move thoughtfully through individualised positions and “sculptured” poses.This version was “zoomed” live to New York, from the foyer of the Portrait Gallery. This time, the reflections on lockdown were evident – the boredom, pain, the introspection, the sorrow and the joyful and playful moments.

The audience was invited to “stretch it out” with a seated version of the jive. And then two members from Subsdance put on a sassy routine to “Skinny Love”, emoting about some of the irritating and condescending comments made to differently-abled people.

The creative dance team behind the event was Liz Lea, Deborah Di Centa, Jane Ingall, Jacqui Simmonds, Philip Piggin and Gretel Burgess.

The International Dance Day message 2021, from German dancer Friedemann Vogel, was that “everything starts with movement – an instinct we all have.” Age, disabilities, experience or scope doesn’t change that or take away people’s desire to move their bodies and be connected to each other and at times, an audience, as was keenly on display in this performance.