Batsheva Dance Company [Review by Erin Hutching]

^{Photo: Gadi Dagon}

Batsheva Dance Company’s Three demonstrates the dancers’ skill with finesse and humour. When the show begins, extremely bright lights come up suddenly to reveal a stark grey courtyard-like set and the audience is confronted with about twenty five pairs of eyes. The dancers stand in formation across the stage, body positions neutral, eyes staring out. They remain standing this way for several moments and then suddenly disperse. This is an unexpected, attention-grabbing beginning to a piece in which the choreographer uses stillness and contrast as powerful weapons.
The work is divided into three parts. The first part is accompanied by Glenn Gould’s Goldberg Variations. The dancers return to the stage in turn alone or in pairs. Their movements are angular, jerky and at times awkward and are juxtaposed with the soft, fluid music. The audience is not allowed to just lose themselves in the dance, but we are jarred into paying attention to the interesting and at times amusing movements. The choreographer and the dancers clearly have a sense of humour about their work but at the same time you can see how serious and passionate they are about it. The dancers are charismatic and make all the moves look very easy although they clearly are not. They work best when they are dancing in pairs and can feed off each other’s energy. When there is more than one place to look on the stage the audience is torn, not wanting to miss anything. But the choreography is considerate of this, and knows how many things can be happening at once before it becomes too many.

The three parts are broken up with an interlude where one dancer returns to the stage holding an old television screen on its side. He stands there emotionless, while on the screen is his face, which cuts in and out with deliberate bad editing. He tells us (on screen) about what is to come next. These bits are the perfect way to break up the dances and they give the audience some laughs as well as keeping them informed about what is coming. The face on the screen goes over the smallest details in an earnest way. The audience finds this hilarious. “The costumes in this part will be the same as in the last two parts, ‘Bellus’ and ‘Humus’. Pay attention. There will be blackouts. The stage will be dark. Very dark …”

I enjoy every part of the piece although I find that the middle section where the girls dance in a group goes on perhaps a little too long. However their timing and control as they move in unison is amazing to watch. Throughout the whole piece, every dancer knows exactly what every part of his or her body is doing at any given time, right down to their little toe.

The piece cumulates in ‘Secus’, where all the dancers return to the stage once again individually or in pairs. The norms of traditional dance are subverted here, for example when two male dancers perform a very sexy ballroom dance which comments on the traditional male-female dynamic of dance. All the dancers return to the stage for the finale and they stand in three lines. At the head of each line, the dancer performs a move which is then copied by the two behind him or her as they come to the front in turn. After their move, the dancers go to the back of the line. Then the next dancer in each line performs another move, which is then copied, and so on. This goes on and we see dance moves that are skilful, creative, funny and just plain ridiculous. The dancers are at once confident and vulnerable.

It was an honour to see Batsheva Dance Company perform. Once you get used to their quirky, original movement style, your eyes are opened to all the things that dance can be – inspiring, humorous, exciting and original. They train in the movement language ‘Gaga’ which was developed by their artistic director Ohad Naharin as a way to communicate with his dancers after he suffered a back injury and could not show them the choreography. This training is clearly developing in his dancers a trust and an enhanced sense of awareness of their bodies. If you are lucky enough to get the chance to see Batsheva Dance Company, don’t miss it.

http://www.melbournefestival.com.au/news/latest?ed=40&story=10058