Queensland University of Technology: Dance 13

Queensland University of Technology: "Dance 13" -
Gardens Theatre, 9 November -

This year the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) dance graduation season also marked the 35th anniversary of QUT Dance. The program therefore was a double celebration of both this year’s graduates and of the many who have gone before, with the majority of works choreographed by QUT Dance alumni.

It was an eclectic mix in a variety of styles that showcased the dancers’ abilities well, although a ruthless edit could have removed a couple of works without losing any diversity, while also cutting the program’s rather long, two hour plus running time.

Nevertheless, this was probably one of the best graduation seasons by QUT Dance for some years, primarily because many pieces were excerpts from contemporary repertoire, which both extended the dancers and also measured them effectively and positively against already set benchmarks.

Unusually for these often very democratically constructed seasons there were four smaller works for the third year students. The duet from Act II of Natalie Weir’s R & J featured Asher Bowen-Saunders and Michael Smith at this performance, both demonstrating the fluid articulation and cleanly extended lines required of Weir’s quite difficult choreography.

Bowen-Saunders and Smith along with Chloe Lanham and Zachary Lopez were the quartet in Shaaron Boughen’s Quartet, while a second solo work by Weir showcased Lopez. Originally choreographed for Riannon McLean, Herself therefore became Himself in this instance (there were three casts), and Lopez, bare-chested in a long powder blue sarong, took ownership in a mesmeric performance of beautifully controlled and extended movement.

Similarly Gareth Belling’s Rebeginnings was a re-gendered reading of the first movement of his original work created for Queensland Ballet. In this performance Lopez and Smith excelled. Although they do not have the best classically articulated feet for this neo-classical piece, their fluid and very expressive use of the upper body and arms perfectly captured the nuances of emotion within the movement.

Four large group works made up the bulk of the program beginning with the only work for first year students, the aptly titled Overture by Jason Robert. From A Chorus Line, through West Side Story to Gypsy and Sweet Charity, this was a tribute to the best of Broadway musicals; a slickly presented miscellany of short pieces, each acknowledging the original choreographer’s unique style, that segued smoothly from one to the other. The leggy dancers, in chorus shoes and an assortment of brightly coloured jackets, were precise but sassy in this entertaining start.

Second year students performed Csaba Buday’s Élet, a beautifully constructed work that draws on the songs of the French cover band Nouvelle Vogue to explore aspects of life such as loneliness and joy, and also an excerpt from Graeme Murphy’s Berlin – the standout work of the program.

This is a strong cohort of dancers. Natalie Kolobaric, Jake Harrison, Leanne Ungerer, Charles Ball, Cloudia Elder and Robert Flehr (a third year student) all succeeded in capturing the essence of their iconic solo roles in this excerpt.

The fourth movement from Graeme Collins’ 4MvtF successfully exposed the third years to the rigour of the classical technique. With nowhere to hide, clad simply in black leotards and tights, they did the choreography, and more importantly the exquisite sonatas of Haydn, Schubert and Debussy, due justice, technically and expressively.

Daniel Riley McKinley’s Twelve Ascensions was the final work of the program, again for the third year students, and also choreographed for them. Exploring the idea of freedom it is a powerful piece that again pushed the dancers stylistically in another direction, but would have been served better if placed earlier in the program.

This was a diverse and most enjoyable graduation program and therefore it has been a delight to be able to mention individual dancers, as for the first time in memory, featured dancers were named in the program.

– DENISE RICHARDSON