Mutating Roots

When you look at a modern, young woman, what do you see? What are your preconceptions? What added biases do you hold when the young woman is a Japanese Australian?

Mutating Rootsplays with preconception, stereotype and prejudice through a variety of artforms. The one-woman show is part dance, part physical theatre and part circus. There’s very little dialogue throughout the hour-long performance. The few times the performer (Mayu Muto) addresses the audience, she’s very warm, down to earth and funny. During the majority of the performance, she relies on her non-verbal skills to communicate her message.

The show itself ranges from the seriously poetic and symbolic to comedic, fun and cheeky. There doesn’t appear to be a dominant narrative running throughout, rather a series of short sketches that are visually stunning, thought-provoking modern art inspired by the show’s topics.

Themes include family, culture and ancestry, the ways in which the world views us and challenges us, and how we grow and change through life. You see Mayu Muto grapple with how much of her ancestral culture to keep and how much to let go. The audience is inspired to assess their own snap judgements. You’re encouraged to experience what it’s like for a person whose life is being shaped by their cross-cultural experiences; what it’s like to challenge what society expects you to be.

There’s no questioning the strength or skill of Mayu Muto. Her dance and acrobatic talents are mesmerising. She plays with gravity, making death-defying aerial work look easy. Costume and set also by co-creators Mayu Muto and Celia White are very effective. Costume changes are simple and handled onstage. While a lightweight wooden screen set piece is used very flexibly to represent a variety of situations and places.

Mutating Rootsis visually and thematically impressive work of contemporary circus. It’s been beautifully developed and presented with passion and skill.

Kiesten McCauley 

Photographer: Mark Turner