www.sydneydancecompany.com
The Land of Yes and The Land of No is a journey through everyday signs and symbols which form our lives and are given life by dancers of the Sydney Dance Company and Raphael Bonachela. The darkness that forms the background slowly comes to life with the glow of the flickering tube light. Into the spotlight enters the lone woman and as the spotlight grows, her body moves creating ripples that seamless move from one to another. As the dance progresses, she is joined by a man and the movements become more liquid, flowing from one to another, intertwining to create a visual treat.
As the sequence progresses, more barefooted dancers emerge from the wings and join to create deft, unified moves creating poetry in motion. There is conformity; there is passion and the unison among dancers as they move from performances of ten to solos, duets and trio performances. Viewers are drawn into agile and angular movements of the dancers, as much as they are into the illusion of coordination that soon moves to chaos to underline the disharmony that we face as signs and symbols are interpreted.
www.sydneydancecompany.com
Ezio Bosso's musical score sets the perfect platform for the dancers, sometimes it is riveting, at other times it is completely captivating. There never seems to be an out of sync moment as the background score blends with the choreography. Alan MacDonald's work with the sets is brilliant. It is minimalist and intriguing as the neon lights guide the dancers. They form windows, doorways, one way signs that dancers have to cross into the imagination of the audience. Guy Hoare's lighting design adds depth to the sets using darkness, bright and light colours such as red, blue, and green as the tubes switch on and off, creating the backbone for the show.
As the dancers move through the stage, following the signs and symbols that are all too familiar to us, we are drawn to the harmony that is created through the sudden movements and the changes in design. It reminds us that nothing is constant and change is inevitable.
www.sydneydancecompany.com
The highlight, apart from the dancers, would be the costumes. The all-white ensemble in lovely designs and textures adds the touch of glamour. The show is one that requires much concentration and by the time you get a hang of things the show is over. But nevertheless, makes for a wonderful watch if you are a lover of dance with a touch of abstractness to it.
