Glass Child

Created by performers Kayah and Maitreyah Guenther, with Kate Harman and Gavin Webber, Glass Child is a celebration of sibling support – and frustration – told through text, movement, home video, animation, music – and dance!

Older brother, Kayah Guenther, and his younger sister, Maitreyah, are from Murwillumbah in regional New South Wales, where they grew up in a close-knit family and community. But, as Maitreyah points out, what do you do when one of the most exciting things to hit the town each year is the filming of the UK version of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here? Enter The Farm at nearby Gold Coast, a theatre and dance group that specialises in creative collaborations –  especially those that can challenge perceptions and reimagine how performance can influence ordinary people.

Kayah and Maitreyah are a creative pair who started dancing together at a young age. In home video footage we see them at family gatherings and school events, inventing their own language of dance. This is incredibly moving as older brother Kayah was born with Down Syndrome and has communication skills that far extend the boundaries of spoken language. In their youth, this is joyous. As the kids age, Kayah’s experience with society and school takes a more aggressive turn – and so do his dance moves. But the siblings’ closeness allows them to overcome pressures and we see this tension resolve in dance and movement as the piece draws to a close.

Collaborators for Glass Child include dancers/choreographers Kate Harman and Gavin Webber – and the dance moves are fab! The audience love it and, judging by the number of people up on their feet at the end of the performance I saw, I suspect they would welcome some audience participation at the end of the show! Set and costume design is by Rozina Suliman. I love Kayah’s punk-rock style, Maitreyah’s flowing athleticism. A simple set of wooden chairs evokes the limitations and barriers placed on Kayah by outsiders. The lighting by Chloe Ogilvie reflects the warm cocoon of family bonds that protect and love against all odds. There’s a great pop music soundtrack, with snazzy original music and a super sound design by Anna Whitaker.

The absence of a usual narrative in Glass Child is not really a problem. The two performers are bright and engaging enough to sustain the 70-minute piece. Glass Child is designed to pivot perceptions and encourage empathy and kindness – a manifesto that you simply cannot argue with! For Kayah and Maitreyah, dance and movement, drawing and animation, are the tools that forge their own special bond but also connect to the outside world. And I’m so glad that they found collaborators at The Farm to tell their story in this deeply personal way.

Find out more: https://www.qpac.com.au/event/glasschild_23

Beth Keehn

Photographer: K Holmes