Sensing Change

Published Monday 27 March 2006 at 16:05 by Kevin Berry

How light and lithe and agile these dancers are. The reputation of Union Dance prepares an audience for their athleticism but their lightness and their flexibility are astonishing. When they spring or jump they seem to be floating.

Sensing Change, the company’s current touring show comprises two pieces linked in their examination of changing perceptions and ideals and their use of advanced digital technology. Mavin Khoo’s Pure C has the dancers on disco platforms, in twos or threes or alone. Roles are questioned, challenged and redefined and expectations change. Image and identity are key elements and the dancers dovetail with their own figures on video projections.

There are many comings and goings and some changes of costume in Pure C and almost inevitably, a feeling of disconnection. Whether or not this was intended will provoke healthy discussions.

Silence Disrupted from Rafael Bonachela, maintains a driving momentum and the dancers have a thrilling soundscape from Santiago Posada. They begin with tiny coloured lights on their limbs and heads.

There are intense duets. Will Thorburn and Gerrard Martin are linked, loose and then confrontational, yet they never break apart. Then Jedda Donnelly and Hian Ruth Voon take centre stage in a similar but more intricate manner. Voon impresses with a blistering solo.

Sensing Change is a perceptive and responsive programme danced by a culturally adventurous company. Its dancers have a defiant and disciplined freedom. They have many styles and techniques to call upon. The joy in their accomplishment is palpable.