Review - Holiday

Review by Justina Lui

Holiday is an original dance piece which explores the universal themes of human interaction and the family. Walking into the smoke filled Guild theatre I was greeted by a simple but effective set which continued the geometric theme first evident in the program and later also in the lighting. This was the first indicator that this dance piece was not going to be about any one particular family but the universal qualities evident in any family.

The soundtrack started unobtrusively with a series of percussive sounds bringing the performers to life from their stationary starting points at the edge of the stage. There was good use of the entire stage space, with the performance often moving beyond the set and even up the walls. I was amazed at the variety of movements the human body can produce both alone and in combinations of twos and threes.

The costumes were generic but effective - as the piece progressed, characters which evoked familiarity were created and projected onto them: the father who yearns to escape the boredom that is family life, the mother who smothers her children, not realising they are no longer children.

The cast was very well rehearsed which was especially evident when periods of individual movement melded seamlessly into unison group pieces. However, more facial expressions from the family characters would have aided the story telling. The father, (Paul Bongiorno) bought a certain gravity to his role which was somewhat lacking in the mother’s (Kate O’Callaghan) performance.

The intensity of some scenes was breathtaking; the support of the family for the daughter (Dara Klein) trying to reach the light. A highlight was the son’s (David Park) duet with his girlfriend (Chiemi Fukimori). The repetitive movements and musical ideas were very effective in telling the story of a relationship from beginning to bitter end. At times the choreography suffered from too many ideas, for example in the playground scene there were too many small groups doing different things making it difficult to focus on the father/daughter relationship. The supporting cast (Scott Williams, Chiemi Fukimori, Jim Nuttal, Sophie Dunn) were fantastic and maintained a very high level of energy throughout the show.

Sparse at times but complete with samples of the Presets, Dean Gourley’s original score contained the only spoken words in the performance. It was more of an industrial sound scape which was closely married to the movement on stage than accompanying music. Katie Skillington’s lighting was also highly effective, seamlessly blending with the dancers and soundtrack

First time director Leah Landau and the entire cast and crew should be commended for creating a highly enjoyable, thought provoking experience.

Holiday closed on Saturday 15 August.

Sounds like a Holiday

Justina Lui spoke to composer Dean Gourley about his latest project Holiday, a collaboration with choreographer Leah Landau.

The synopsis for Holiday describes “a contemporary dance piece which explores the notion that every single person, at some point in their lives, has wanted to kill somebody.” An original work, Dean’s aim was to create “a visual interplay between the dancers who react to the music and story themes and vice versa.”

“Leah came up with the original concept and I proposed what I could contribute to give form to the entire piece. It was a highly collaborative process, she would give me ideas and I would come back to her with musical suggestions. It was concurrent physical and aural development.”

Over the two month rehearsal period, the show has been elaborated and refined from a linear scripted dialogue interjected with dance to a continuous 30 minute flow of scenes in which relationships between family characters and ensemble cast are explored.

The score is entirely pre-recorded and features “rhythms made from voices and the sounds the cast make when in character. They become almost drum and bass type sounds.” Different dance styles and Rhythmic ostinatos are used to define characters. “There’s a ballerina who does hip hop and break dancing, it’s amazing! Not all of them are trained dancers but they deliver the story with such conviction.”

Dean is looking forward to the show’s opening “I have the utmost respect for the cast – they have all done such a fantastic job!” With ticket prices cheaper than a parma and pot, there’s no excuse not to go.

Holiday runs from Wednesday 12 August to Saturday 15 August at 7:45pm in the Guild Theatre, Union House. $15/$12/$10. Bookings: holiday.mudfest@gmail.com. For more info visit http://holidaydance.com.au