Standing Bird

‘Standing bird’ is an original concept by Sally Richardson. Produced by Performing Lines WA, it is being performed in the PICA Performance Space, James Street, Northbridge. The 45-minute spectacular starts at 9.30 pm each evening until Sunday 12^th February (No show on Saturday 11^th)

 

The following is my analysis of the superb presentation. I apologise to the writer and performer for any misinterpretation.

 

 

       It is nighttime on a cruise liner. A young girl (Jacqui Claus - 2010 Ausdance Emerging Artist Award) is celebrating as only the adolescents know how. Soon she is legless with the drink and staggers and stumbles her way upstairs to the deck. The sea rocks the boat and inevitably she falls overboard.

       We see her (quality video art by Ashley de Prazer) being tossed around in the ocean. The theatre is filled with the sound of the waves lapping and the gulls squawking (Kingsley Reeve). Gradually the girl comes to shallower water, and seeing the pure white foam and spume surrounding her, she imagines that she is walking down the aisle in her bridal gown trailing a long wispy train (costumes by Fiona Bruce).

        Eventually she is washed ashore on a remote Australian beach; she lies down and dries out on the sand. As she lies there she starts to appreciate the peace and beauty of the nature around. At first she is frightened at all the new creatures from the largest roos, down to the sand crabs, fleas and leaches. Slowly she becomes at one with nature, finds her inner soul and then a kind of metamorphosis takes place. Before long, she finds herself ‘au naturale’ and actually copying the bird she most admires.

 

 

This is a beautiful piece, superbly directed by Sally Richardson. The choreography is by Danielle Micich, and features contributions from Paea Leach and Shona Erskine. To an philistine like myself, the dancing is more a mix of complex movements than actual dance steps. The movements however have a fine blend of ballet, acrobatics, and bruising athleticism.

Kyle Morrison advised on the Aboriginal style of fauna-representation in dance. The dramaturgy by Humphrey Bower is clever, with the interpretation of the drunken girl being outstanding. As the girl staggered, Kingsley Reeve’s music pounded like a bad hangover.

The lighting design was by Mike Nanning, with much of the light being provided by a portable flood.

Almost everyone on this cream of a team has been nominated for major awards, so it is not surprising that this performance captured the imagination and the emotions of the audience. Exceptional merging of music and movement. Fabulous rendition by Jacqui.