Sydney Dance Company (SDC) premiered momenta in 2024 in Sydney, and then travelled long distances on a tour to Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and regional New South Wales. This year’s regional tour for a group of 17 dancers travels around Victoria and Tasmania, opening in the city of Mildura.
‘Momentum’ is the tendency of a moving body to keep moving; its plural is ‘momenta’. The word ‘momenta’ was the starting point for Artistic Director and choreographer Rafael Bonachela in creating this abstract work in collaboration with the dancers, designers, and composer. Bonachela saw ‘momenta’ as a series of ‘momentums’. From there, the focus broadened to explore force, time (suggested by the word ‘moment’) and space.
The work progresses in a series of waves of movement and sound, swelling, intensifying and then dying away. The recorded score by composer Nick Wales varies from haunting vocalisations and lyrical sound to percussive energy and force. The violin concerto Distant Light by Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks is part of the score, bookended by Wales’s own composition. Solos and duets are performed to the violin concerto.
momenta begins with a group of dancers seated on the stage, then rising to move in unison, forming sculptural patterns with angular arm movements. Together with the haunting soundscape featuring calling sounds from high voices, the effect is hypnotic. The group fragments, with momentum building, and more individual movement, sound and energy intensifying, then diminishing. This general pattern of calm, followed by building momentum, then a climax and a dying away, is repeated through the work, with ensemble work punctuated by solos and duos. Some sections, including the ending, seemed over-long.
The ensemble is the important entity in this piece, and no dancers are identified in the program as performing particular sections. About halfway through the work, a female dancer and a male dancer performed a duet with many lifts, creating a lovely sense of flow. The duet is followed by a male solo with a similar feeling, and this was similarly beautifully executed.
momenta celebrates the dancers’ athleticism, control and lyricism, putting a spell on the audience. The movement has a very classical foundation, as well as a freedom and groundedness. The waves of energy it creates show the effects of action and reaction, of momentum, of force, of balance and counterbalance. The movement features tiny stop/starts echoing the concept of action/reaction.
The lighting (by Damien Cooper) is a very active part of the work. The 19 lights, closely spaced within a circular structure, create a multitude of different effects, changing colour, intensity and duration. The whole structure rises (sometimes so high it is out of view) and lowers over the performers, also tilting to change the angles of the light. At one point it resembles a UFO. The addition of fog gives another dimension to the lighting, one striking effect resembling crepuscular rays.
The minimalist set and costume design (by Elizabeth Gadsby, assisted by Emma White) really show off the dancers and the effects of the lighting. Costumes are simple stretch shorts or pants, with close-fitting singlets or T-shirts, in various combinations of beige, fawn, chocolate and charcoal. The dancers have bare feet or wear beige socks. The background is black, creating a feeling of limitless space. The shiny Tarkett flooring is also black, and acts as a mirror reflecting the dancers. One jarring note is the glitter raining down on the dancers at the end of the work, which seems incongruous and frivolous.
The performance was followed by a Q&A session with Rehearsal Director Richard Cilli and dancers Lucy Angel and Morgan Hurrell. Introducing the Q&A, Mayor of Mildura Rural City Council, Helen Healy, commented that the city has a strong dance culture, and is well supplied with dance schools. However, performances by professional dance companies are infrequent and greatly appreciated. The audience showed their enthusiasm in their vigorous applause after the performance, and in the large number staying for an animated Q&A session, many of them dance students.
For me, it was well worth driving over 800 km to see SDC opening its 2025 regional tour.
