Director & Producer: Hannah McFarlane
Venue: The Meteor
There must be something magical in the water around here because Waikato continually churns out talented dancers. Last night a troupe of twelve held an audience spellbound at The Meteor.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way and that is exactly how the troupe behind CO-LECT were able to devise and choreograph a show during the 2021 lockdown, then go on to perform it under the newly instated Red alert level to a near capacity 100 person audience.
The seven pieces were compelling, thoughtful and unique. They sat alongside each other agreeably without being too jarring to the adjacent choreography.
CO-LECT employed many types of storytelling. An overhead projector, dialogue, a voiceover, and a live musician were integral to the distinction between items. The dancers who performed as soloists, a duet, a quartet and at times up to eight were all extremely well trained and stage-ready. The ensemble choreography was sublime and the spatial awareness and passion of the dancers was indisputable.
Highly accomplished musician Yotam Levy provided a mesmerising cello solo. Levy was then joined by a dancer whose fluid interpretation was completely in tune with the strings. The lighting cleverly produced a shadow effect that danced behind them, and eventually the shadow was replaced with a dancer. Genius.
Another item was a fascinating interpretation of a Nathan Wallis lecture on the effect of stress on the brain. This piece was incredibly interesting as the dancers embodied stress, breath and knowledge.
Director and producer Hannah McFarlane worked alongside Aaron Chesham of ACLX to produce a gorgeous lighting design that enhanced all movement.
The costumes were brilliant in their simplicity. The dancers wore various non-constrictive casual items in fabrics that responded well to lighting. Each choreographed dance had its own colourway, and just mixing up outfits amongst the crew was an excellent idea.
My congratulations goes to all involved for a thought-provoking and exquisite showcase that took an entranced audience across a spectrum of emotions from delight to sorrow to hope.
Hannah McFarlane is very highly respected in the dance community and is a gifted choreographer and producer who leaves nothing to chance.
There are two more performances - Thursday 3 February and Friday 4 February 2022. With a running time of approximately 45 minutes, seeing CO-LECT is the ideal way to ease into a long weekend. Tickets are available via The Meteor website.
Finally, CO-LECT offers a surprise ending. Let’s just say there’s something magical in the water.
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