ONE SINGLE ACTION IN AN OCEAN OF EVERYTHING
Chunky Move Studios, Melbourne
Rising Festival
June 13-16
To mention Lucy Guerin’s name or her company, LGI, in many ways feels synonymous to saying “contemporary dance in Australia'', such is the output and influence of this dignitary of choreography. Over the years, her works seem to have only built in intensity and depth, and each new collaboration and ensemble of dancers seems to propel audiences to newer heights.
In an ambitious fusion of immersive theatre and collective action, One Single Action emerged for the RISING festival as a poignant exploration of our era's collective conscience. Guerin’s newest piece transcends traditional boundaries to invite audiences into a realm where individual decisions ripple into societal transformations. When so much of life is automated and agency is denied to so many, pure recourse to action, movement and dance feels revolutionary.
The performance is divided in two halves: before the “single action” that may catalyse immense change and after it. Lighting engineer Paul Lim does an excellent job at propelling the space into astral blackness, with a shining planet-like orb as a focal point, a persistent reminder of the threat of our planet ruination and the recourse to find “another Earth”.
The dancers (Amber McCartney and Geoffrey Watson) dance with angular finesse through Guerin’s characteristically razor-sharp choreography that changes direction and flow purposefully but surprisingly. There are moments when they move with slow deliberate monotony and others with sharp, frenetic futurism, a moving portrait of the chaos and confusion of contemporary computer-augmented and distorted life.
Their attire, a jarring palette of acid yellow, burnt orange and beige, disturbs their lines while they angle to reach the moon with futile hammers and goggles.
Moments of visual violence punctuate the auditorium, with McCartney rolling over broken glass and encasement in a see-through plastic suit. We feel discomfort and inhumanity.
But it is Watson and McCartney’s on-stage synergy that is the most palpable, as they tussle and flow through the choreography on a strange, hubristic mission to smash the moon or find some kind of resolution to chaos, succor or peace.
They both become an integral part of the unfolding drama, compelled to make choices that resonate far beyond the confines of the performance space. As scenes unfold with a choreographed elegance, the boundaries between performer and observer blur, creating a shared experience that lingers long after the final curtain falls. With the announcement that RISING's future funding is at risk, and the difficult cost-of-living crisis impacting the arts and everyday comfort with a climate of fear, Guerin provides as always a poignant and provocative piece. If it is to be RISING’s swan song, it is a memorable one.
- LEILA LOIS