Sunday, October 11, 2009

Six Women Standing in Front of a White Wall

Congratulations to Little Dove Theatre Art, winners of the Best Dance Award at this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival.

If you didn't get a chance to see it, here's a brief description via the mini-review I wrote for The Age a few weeks ago:


With social isolation becoming a common problem, theatre maker Chenoeh Miller has taken it upon herself to remind us of the importance of human contact. Her interactive physical theatre/butoh piece is an affecting demonstration of the idea that we need to be touched in order to survive.

The Six Women stand behind a rope barrier, upon which hangs a sign reading ‘Please Do Touch’. Their painted faces are contorted in silent cries of agony, amplified gestures of fury and despair send them into fits of shaking, their fingers distorted with tension.

As audience members approach, the joy of the performers is exaggerated but nonetheless authentic, their incredibly expressive faces fill the room with ecstatic, childlike delight at the generosity of a stranger’s touch.

They never speak nor move off the spot, but at such close range their smiles are enormously infectious, making this cleverly designed encounter an uplifting, playful experience.


P.S. There's also a snippet of the show on Youtube



3 comments:

  1. Thank you so much, Chloe. Love, Chenoeh

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  2. My neice took me along to the Northcote, Melbourne performance. It was something I had never experienced before & I can't stop talking about it. Very well done.

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  3. My pleasure Chenoeh, looking forward to seeing what you come up with next. And sorry for the late reply!

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