Saturday’s Place Prize Semi-Final 4 showcased the work by the last of the 16 commissioned choreographers, and with it came the announcement of the four pieces chosen to move forward to the finals. The audience vote went to h2dance’s Duet from the second night, with an impressive vote of 4.1 out of 5 stars. The final three pieces chosen by the judges were Riccardo Buscarini’s Athletes, from the first evening, Rick Nodine’s Dead Gig, from night two, and The Wishing Well, by Eva Recacha, that was the first work performed that night.
Recacha’s The Wishing Well was a deeply connected work that interfaced with tradition, life’s patterns and rituals, and religion. The floor is edged with light on all sides, and as performer Martha Pasakopoulou moves about the space, we become very aware of the light and her inability to cross it. Pasakopoulou takes cues from an audio recording of a woman speaking and singing, all bits and pieces effectively composed to dialogue with the dancer. The movement and performance of Pasakopoulou is exquisite. Every action has within it a meaning and intention, and this intention is displayed from head to foot. Because of this, she was able to communicate complex emotions and ideas in a way that may have been abstracted, but still maintained the integrity of that feeling.
Recacha was able to fully utilise this expressive quality to piece together a work that had a real strength and an honesty that was refreshing. I enjoyed watching this collage of movement and ideas, allowing this patchwork-narrative to take shape without feeling the need to understand every image. The Wishing Well was lovely, and I can’t wait to see it again in the finals.
The second piece of the evening was Robbie Synge’s Settlement, where two performers manipulate and organise around three plywood panels. These panels are balanced, flipped, pulled and dropped throughout the piece by both dancers to constantly engineer the space in new ways. Each new way of using the boards allows both the dancers and the audience members to see the space differently. I enjoyed how there was a natural relationship between the two performers that was constantly shifting from working together to working in opposition. Also, there were many moments in the piece where I was on edge, watching risky and precise handling of the boards, which added needed excitement. While it wasn’t a show-stopper, Settlement was an interesting piece, and one that kept my attention.
Next was Third by Goddard Nixon, which was choreographed and performed by Jonathan Goddard and Gemma Nixon. The dancers performed in hoods and the lighting scene brought to mind an icy tundra, complete with lighting that simulated snow toward the end. This was the “danciest” piece of the evening, and both performers were clearly very technically apt. The partner work had high legs and smooth floorwork, and the dancers used complex lifts and weight transfers to achieve a fluid and dynamic duet. While the dancing was very clean and correct, it also felt a bit contained – as if the emotional connection wasn’t able to break past the technical work being done. It felt a little too unreal in its perfection, and I missed the sense of weighted reality amidst the complex dance movement. Still, I appreciated the fact that the choreographers were able to create a beautiful duet that highlighted their physical virtuosity.