THREE

Australasian Dance Collective is the brand-refreshed award-winning Expressions Dance Company who have been presenting new contemporary dance in this country for nearly 40 years. Led by Artistic Director, Amy Hollingsworth, the new company features an ensemble of six dancers, who have been patiently waiting to present THREE, which marks the Australian premieres of two new Australian works by choreographers Melanie Lane and Jack Lister, and one UK work by Hofesh Shechter (making its first Queensland appearance). The group promises to push the boundaries of the art form to present exhilarating contemporary dance works. They certainly exceed this, hitting the ground running with THREE, which features three 20-30-minute works, showcasing the versatility of the collaborating dancers: Chase Clegg-Robinson, Tyrel Dulvarie, Lonii Garnons-Williams, Jack Lister, Jag Popham and Josephine Weise.

Melanie Lane shows her cinematic influences with 'Alterum', a piece in an underground underworld setting, with futuristic rusty-wire electropop by Chris Clark and wonderful Matrix-meets-Tron leather-coat-and-sunglass-laden costumes designed by Alana Sargent. This is a gothic horror dystopia filled with black beetles, robots, and vampires. The whole ensemble is on show with electric body moves creating nightmare visions, back-lit by a red sun with a fabulous lighting design by Glenn Hughes. The piece is crying out for a longer realisation with this collection of brilliant characters.

The next piece by Brisbane's own Jack Lister presents 'Still Life' in an art gallery setting that highlights the fleetingness of the human condition compared to the immortality of a painted portrait. The ephemeral quality of the constantly moving dancers is enhanced by deep shadows and flickering lights in a design by Glenn Hughes, with sound by Wil Hughes and a collection of classical music to remind us of the place of art in our human history. Clever costume design by Alana Sargent plants the piece in an anytime setting. The highlight for me was the pas de deux by Josephine Weise and Jag Popham in a final duet as artist and muse, their intertwined bodies and interdependent souls making it difficult to tell who was artist and who was the muse. It was eloquent and poignant, and one of the stronger emotive elements of THREE.

'Cult' by London's Hofesh Shechter is the final side of THREE's triangle. It also examines humanity, this time in an era of rampant consumerism. Shechter also wrote the music soundtrack which features spoken word, including a clever chant of products and brands from pizza to frozen yoghurt. The dancers wear iconic red dresses and business suits: are we slaves to the corporate rhythm? Shechter's strength is in presenting the human body in synchronised movement and the six dancers moving together is certainly forceful and satisfying. This leaves the final image of the solo male character on the stage somewhat an anticlimax and it may have been more powerful to finish with the six dancers together, as in 'Alterum'.

While the three works are not overtly interconnected, there is an overlapping theme of examining what it is to be human. What also links them is a focus on the individual, with distanced emotion and minimal focus on group contact, and few solo or duet spotlights. This could leave some viewers feeling disconnected, despite the superb movement and energy on display. I look forward to seeing each of these six accomplished dancers in more depth, and to learning more about their stories in future programmes.

Beth Keehn

Photos: David Kelly