Redshift

Redshift is a contemporary dance performance inspired by scientific experience and knowledge that highlights small and sometimes unnoticeable changes in movement. The study of the consequences and importance of these minute details are the main focus of this piece. Movement is studied rather than performed and this results in a highly unusual pace for a dance piece, where the minute and the banal are transformed into spectacle.\

The show opens with bold and striking imagery which conveys a heavy sense of inertia. However, as the performance progresses the unusual dynamics of movement explored by the performers become increasingly fascinating and alluring. Performers James Batchelor, Amber McCartney, Jack Riley, and Jacqueline Trapp are outstanding; their movement is always elegant and graceful and their physical and artistic capabilities are always at the forefront, without distracting from the unusual agenda of the choreography. 

Chunky Move provides a refreshing and novel space and the performance is perfectly situated in the context. The expanse of the stage area is always used effectively and is as studied as the movement. The lighting, staging and costuming are extremely evocative and the sound and music effects, which are frequently delicate and melodic, elicit a variety of moods ranging from menacing to uplifting. The sequence involving an unexpected metamorphosis of the costumes, much like the entire performance, is a feast for the eye.

Patricia Di Risio

Photographer: Gregory Lorenzutti