I don’t know if there is such a thing as a distinctly Australian sensibility as it relates to dance but if there is, then Gabrielle Nankivell’s Wildebeest defines it. It is a masterful work on a lot of levels that begins with an act of imagination. The ballet opened with a poem that exhorted a wildebeest to rise. A male dancer on the floor, seemingly having just been born, tried to rise on shaky limbs. He struggled to stand with animal-like movements that evoked but did not attempt to mimic the titular animal. He was joined by a female companion and they began to dance together and the partnering was terrific. They were intensely physical, surging with wild energy, flying lifts and wild running. They were joined by the rest of the company and another level of meaning was added. There was a fascinating contrast between the whole company as herd and free-ranging solos that explored individual identities. The company communicated through their energy, intention and movement. They vary substantially in height and body type but but were outstandingly unified in their attack of the choreography. Thoroughly a brilliant work. Nankivell is a visionary choreographer and I’d like to see more of her.
Raw Models, a work by Jacopo Godani, came across as little more than a great deal of posturing. It was tiresomely slinky, with a “sexy-and-I-know-it” attitude costumed in black Jean-Paul Gaultier knockoff unisex lingerie. I was unable to reconcile the program notes with anything that was happening on stage. Try this: “In this piece my ideal is to propose the prototype of a micro-social structure functioning on communication, empathy and complicity.” Still, even though I didn’t appreciate the sensibility of the piece, I enjoyed watching what the dancers were doing. They are that compelling.