Coming soon: Jasperse and Friends

The Dance Massive Festival is coming to Melbourne next month. It's going to be a slightly overwhelming, rather huge feast of Australian contemporary dance, with many new works along with some delicious remounts on the menu.

It's going to be tough choosing what to see, but here are a couple of snippets I found about Becky, Jodi and John, a piece choreographed by John Jasperse several years ago.

This glowing review by Roslyn Sulcas for the NY Times is worth a read, and if you're still not convinced, here are a couple of cute video excerpts from the show:






One of the performers, Becky Hilton, is a cornerstone of Melbourne’s contemporary dance scene. She was one of the first graduates of the Victorian College of the Arts Dance School, and went on to have a fabulous career, both here and overseas. She is loved as a teacher and mentor by many young dancers.

In this work, Becky and two of her oldest friends, Jodi Melnick and John Jasperse, perform a portrait-style piece about sustaining a dance career past the ripe old age of forty. Jasperse has peppered his abstract movement with plenty of humour and personal anecdotes, which is one of the reasons this will definitely be on my shortlist of things to see during the festival.

Becky, Jodi and John is on at Dancehouse from March 24 til April 3, 2011. Visit dancemassive.com.au for more information and bookings.

Mulan Acrobatic Show

Performed by the Chongqing Acrobatic Art Troupe
State Theatre, Melbourne
February 3, 2011

The Chongqing Acrobatic Art Troupe have created a stunning circus show which is loosely based on the Chinese myth of Mulan, the girl who joins the army in place of her elderly father. It’s colourful, incredible and most of all, great fun.

The iridescent stage design and breathtaking stunts are all geared toward supporting the light-hearted, pantomime narrative, which gives some cohesion without being overbearing. There are good guys and bad guys, a love story and cheeky kids, just the right formula for families.

But it’s the skills of this Chinese troupe which form the centrepiece. Whether juggling, tumbling, twhirling or clowning, they are nothing short of amazing. As if balancing a lantern pole in their teeth isn’t hard enough, four of the women climb atop each other’s shoulders while keeping their lanterns aloft. Men in blazing gold unitards build several mind-boggling human pyramids, mostly involving handstands atop handstands.

Talented child-clowns, surely no more than 12 years old, play a starring role. Interacting with the audience and performing amazing acrobatic feats, they are professional beyond their years.

The techno-fuelled meteor act is a brilliant climax, with the reflective spinning props thrown high and dexterously caught. Soaring aerials make for a picturesque love scene, while the combination of gymnastics and high jump required to complete the astonishing two metre high hoop dive is worthy of Olympic gold.

The acting may be patchy in places and the final scene is disappointing, but these are minor quibbles. On the whole, Mulan is marvelous.



Review by Chloe Smethurst

First Published in The Age newspaper