Terrain

Bangarra Dance Theatre’s latest work Terrain is a reminder of the necessity to leave alone what is left of Mother Earth. Not that this is the ardent message of the performance but rather an exploration of our innate longing to connect with our natural world and experience its potential power to awaken us to something beyond ourselves – no better expressed than through the spirituality of Indigenous traditional culture.

Lake Eyre, Australia’s inland sea and one of the few untouched natural waterways in the world, is the inspiration for Frances Rings’ choreography, that takes the audience on a journey through the lake’s ancient history and stories. It is a homage to the intricate relationship – past and present - between Indigenous people and country. The mesmerising, liquid choreography never seems to stop moving as bodies wave around, through and over each other in a ceaseless flow of movement that evokes the feeling of water and a sense of timelessness. Group work, solos and duets take us through the delicate balance between people and their environment, beautifully enhanced with the constant varying of Jennifer Irwin’s costumes that reflects the lake’s continuous changing landscape. David Page’s music is a fantastic soundtrack in itself, modern yet with traditional sounds and at times haunting. Such a spiritual narrative of a vast, emotive place perhaps cannot stand on dance alone and Karen Norris’ lighting and Jacob Nash’s set design hold the work together with lighting and backdrops that range from entirely white to a kaleidoscope of colour.

Terrain provides not just an evening of entertainment but an experience. I have never been to Lake Eyre but I already feel I know it better. This production stems from a lot of heart, thought and investigation and at the end of the performance the company received a standing ovation.

Karen Coombs

Images: (top) Male Ensemble & (lower) Daniel Riley-McKinle. Photographer: Greg Barrett.