Situ-8 | State Theatre Centre | Until 28th November | ★ ★ ★ ★
Strut Dance, Tura New Music and the State Theatre Centre of WA have come together to create a unique and intriguing presentation that combines movement based works and soundscapes in unexpected and unusual spaces.
Bringing together choreographers and sound artists Situ-8 takes the audience on a journey around different spaces at the State Theatre Centre. Works are presented on staircases, in architectural ponds, bar areas and back stage spaces. Every few minutes the audience moves on to a new space and a new creation.
Among the artists contributing the pieces are Sally Richardson, James Vu Anh Pham, Rebecca Riggs-Bennett, Felicity Groom and Louis Frere-Harvey and a swathe of dancers and lighting artists.
The individual works are a mixed bag, some are captivatingly beautiful, others tap into horror and dark themes, others are yawn inducing, and a few will leave you scratching your head wondering what it was all about.
Not to worry though, every few minute the work concludes and you move on to the next, turn a corner, climb a flight of stairs, enter a new space and begin again. While the show is quite short, the whole journey clocks in at 90 minutes, it’s a rollercoaster ride of different themes and performance styles.
The collective output of these works in unusual spaces triggers conversations about obeying rules and disruption. Who says performances need to be on the stage and the audience in the seats? One of the most memorable shows I’ve ever seen on the main stage at the State Theatre Centre was Lady Eats Apple by theatre group small metal objects, which did just that.
After watching dancers perform in ponds, bars, lighting rigs and rehearsal rooms, observing them from different perspectives, sometime we were looking up, other times they were far below us, or across a crowded courtyard, after all this, you begin to wonder about disruption on a larger scale. Who says dessert comes at the end of the meal? Why should blue and green never be seen? Why not play your records backwards, or wear your clothes outside in, break all the rules!
Situ-8 is playing at the State Theatre Centre of WA until 28th November, it’s a free event but you need to book in advance.
Graeme Watson
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