DANCE
Edited By Caroline Melia
Away from the obvious at The Garden exists the Fringe’s Dance program. Here are our top six picks.
Back of the Bus Dance Pad Flash Mob
Dark Park Rip Drag Ruminate
Unspoken Languages Wyrd…With Grace
Back of the Bus
Pick up point: Venue*Tix Outlet & Adelaide Town Hall
24 Feb – 11 March (ex 5 Mar)
New Zealand based Java Dance company presents this site-specific show, as the name implies, in the back of a bus.
Dancers will perform their routines during this bus ride around Adelaide. They combine physical comedy with an exciting and dynamic dance show that is accessible to all.
The enclosed confines of the setting bring the spectators closer to the action both on and off the bus, allowing the audiences to get to know the hidden depths of the characters depicted over the course of the show.
Along with the Fringe Festival’s own bus ‘Tour of the Unexpected’, there is an emphasis on how mundane places can be used and experienced in new and surprising ways. The choreographer Sacha Copland describes getting inspiration from the street music on the French subway system and how travelling lets you see familiar things in new, surprising ways. Though performing for the first time in Adelaide, the show has been a sell-out success in its home county of New Zealand and hopes to give audiences at the Fringe a fresh new look at their home city.
The tickets for this show are limited to the capacity of the bus, so book well in advance to avoid being left on the kerb.
Dance Pad Flash Mob
The Dance Pad
25 Feb at 2pm 27 Feb and 1 March at 6.30pm
The internet craze of flash mobs comes to the Fringe Festival with the opportunity for you to be part of the action. The dance routines will be rehearsed prior to the flash mob, and will be suitable for all ages and abilities. This range also helps the flash mob fit it with the surroundings. The locations will be revealed at the rehearsal workshops, but remember not to go telling too many of your friends as the whole idea is that the audience are the ones surprised. Don’t take part if you don’t like being the centre of attention, but this is the perfect opportunity to claim a small part of performing at the Fringe Festival.
The price of the ticket is redeemable for a dance classes so if you find you’re feet keep tapping, head along to one of the street dance classes held by The Dance Pad.
Dark Park
Adelaide College of the Arts- DK Studio
2-4 March at 7.30pm
Somewhere between dance and theatre, Dark Park has clearly been hard to categorise in terms of genre. Evoking images of that classic fairytale featuring a wolf and a girl, this show also cites influences from film noir, David Lynch and writer Angela Carter, whose work ‘The Company of Wolves’ was adapted into a film. It’s always interesting to see how fairy tales are applied to situations well beyond childhood. This dance piece places us directly into a story of survival and escape in a surreal world of nightmares. Expect something a little darker than usual.
This is the solo performance of Kelly Alexander, a young choreographer who trained in Adelaide and Melbourne and has had extensive experience with numerous dance companies.
Rip Drag Ruminate
Adelaide College of the Arts
2-5 March
This is the culmination of three years of training, teaching and performing, Adelaide College of Arts presents a new dance work for this year’s Fringe Festival season from the best of Adelaide’s graduating year. If you’re always keen to see something new and fresh, this is a opportunity to see the future performers of the dance world. The College of Arts has already produced performers of professional quality with one of their 2010 graduates taking part in last year’s festival. It’s a chance to see local young talent; clearly the ones to watch.
Unspoken Languages
Queens Theatre 1
15-17 March
This cross art forms experiment combining improvised jazz, abstract painting and three dancers, gives us an exciting glimpse into the creative mind. Drawing parallels between different art forms and with an audience guided second half, this show will be a different experience every night. There is also the chance to take some of the evening home with you, as you can purchase the painting created during the show after the event.
Perhaps the idea of impromptu dance and jazz music isn’t for everyone. But there is a certain curiosity in seeing how something as eclectic as this can work as a dance show.
Wyrd… With Grace
Holden Street Theatres – The Studio
13-15 March
After a very successful season at the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2011, Wyrd… with grace will be performed in the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2012 at Holden Street Theatres.
The choreographer and dancer is emerging artist, Alexandra Knox. After completing a Bachelor of Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts she has danced with Meryl Tankard, Phillip Adams, Stephanie Lake, Rebecca Hilton, Elizabeth Dalman and Liz Lea. Alexandra has recently been mentored by choreographer Leigh Warren of Leigh Warren and Dancers who has described the work as “beautiful, just beautiful.”
Wyrd works within choreographed and improvised scores and structures. The performance will explore the pathways of transformation and empowerment that we can take to play a hand in weaving our own fate. Amongst those collaborating with Alex is Melboure based visual artist / film maker Cy Gorman, who has also worked for Chunky Move.
Of the work, Alexandra says, “I am passionate about creating imaginative and original work that expresses an emotional tenderness and vulnerability but is yet striking to watch. I believe it is important to really embody and explore all the intricacies of your art form, love what you do and express this onstage.”
Wyrd is very likely to be one of the sleepers of the Fringe program that will come to surprise you.
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