Common Ground

Common Ground
Choreographer: Anouk van Dijk. Chunky Move. Chunky Move Studios, 111 Sturt Street, Southbank. April 26 – May 5, 2018

A powerful and immersive tour- de –force!

Two performers walk into the brightly-lit studio, circumnavigate the edge of the white floor establishing their own pace; both look determined and headstrong.

Common Ground is the new highly innovative work by the acclaimed choreographer and director Anouk van Dijk, who has created the concept for and with two brilliant performers, Richard Cilli and Tara Jade Samaya, at the Chunky Move Studios.

 A powerful pastiche of a post-post modern dance exemplifies truth, integrity and force. It deals with the relationship we have with the world around us, as individuals, as couples and how we weave ourselves into a common ground within the constraints and freedoms of our own personalized and demarcated environment.

The pure essence of this complex yet simple production belongs to Van Dijk’s modern dance-movement system titled the Countertechnique, It combines dance physicality with a twenty first century state of mind.

The floor is masterfully and monumentally overwhelmed by Samaya and Cilli in subtle seamless counter movement, combining their own  minds and bodies to connect and reconnect. It is a strikingly visceral show that exemplifies bold, subtle and brazen conceptual  muscular movement.

The composition and sound design by Jethro Woodward has notably developed a truly original mosaic of classical, deconstructed modern sounds solidifying and melding into the overall performance.

Samsaya and Cilli ignite the floor with an amazing fusion of fluid and sensual friction to unite in a persona of solace agreement and to separate again with individualistic stoic stance and motion.

The set and costume design by Marg Howell is basic and reversible, further enhancing the dualistic theme of the performance. Lighting Design by Paul Jackson combines stark, sharp and bright fluorescent; lighting magnifies our experience as audience.

Common Ground is a beautiful and mindful contemporary dance performance.

Highly recommended!

Flora Georgiou

Photographer: Pia Johnson

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