The Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne
Reviewed July 20
Tim Podesta Creative is based in Wodonga, and the troupe's appearances in Melbourne are few and far between. It's a pity the visits are so infrequent, because the shows are always high quality and thought provoking. Podesta's choreography is quite distinct amid the Australian contemporary dance landscape, and seems to have more in common with European or UK cutting-edge choreographers such as Wayne McGregor, especially in his taste for electronic sound scores and choreography that explores the extreme edges of classical technique – without letting go of it entirely.
For this visit Podesta's small company consisted of six excellent professional dancers – Zoe Cavedon, Alana Pointon, Meg Newton, Dominic Ballard, Harrison Watson and Isabella Butterworth – some of whom began their training with Podesta. They presented four short works, supplemented with a larger ensemble piece for 19 dancers, performed by students from The Training Ground, from Canberra. All the pieces were choreographed by Podesta, with the exception of Reflections with Terpsichore, a solo choreographed and performed by the elegant Butterworth, that explored "the experience of internal conflict and growth".
Architecture of Loss is a solo that was originally choreographed for internationally renowned ballerina Mara Galeazzi. This time it was performed by a male (Ballard), giving it quite a different dynamic. With music that sometimes pops like gunshots or fireworks, he performed with a combination of grace and vigour.
Soul Stories is also effectively a solo, though it begins as a duo, and explores "the poignant journey of losing a sibling". The "lost sibling" opens the piece (Caitlyn Turner), but she soon disappears into the darkness at the back of the stage while her memory is mourned and contemplated by another solo dancer (Newton). It is hard to take your eyes off this dancer – she is very expressive and has a particularly soft, pliant way of moving.
The eponymous work, Forte, has been performed around Australia and overseas (see 2018 review here). It is a work for the whole group, dressed in vibrant red pants and jackets. To a mix of crowd noises, orchestral and electronic music and spoken word, the dancers group and regroup, form liaisons and engage each other in complex duos and trios. On this night the statuesque Cavedon was particularly notable for her high extensions and groundedness.
All Podesta's works in this program are linked by soundscapes by contemporary composers or sonic artists that often treads a line between classical and contemporary.
His choreography treads a similar line. The four works are notable for their lyricism, their inventive, eloquent arm movements and their undulating bodies. They explore new movement while revelling in the lush virtuosity of ballet technique.
Podesta has many projects on the boil: he is a choreographer, teacher, judge, exercise scientist and also founder of Dis/assemble Dance Project, for dancers with diverse abilities. Here's hoping Australia's capital cities will see this enterprising group more often in the future.
- KAREN VAN ULZEN