By Frankey
From all of the weirdness of fingers and toes, to the clashing fluidity of elegant bodies, Colossus is an emotional adventure.
Published exclusively for The Urban Scrapbook
Performed Friday 4th October 2019
Melbourne International Arts Festival 2019
The stage is set, seemingly well in advance. 50 dancers lay extended in a circle, their arms outreached, their toes pointed towards a central focus.
As individual members of the audience cascade into the studio, strolling eagerly towards their seats, they’re invited by the theatrical mise-en-place to contemplate the ingredients before them.
All of the dancers are dressed similarly in black, forcing the illusion that they are all the same.
It’s a metaphorical preview into what’s to come. This idea of breaking from the mold in a sea of sameness. The interplay between audience and cast. Individual and group. Male and female. Time and space.
What follows is a beautifully choreographed romp, in which human bodies interact and communicate thrillingly, erratically, and playfully.
This is contemporary dance at its most contemplative.
For almost every action, there is its notable reaction, played regularly in struggles of visible individualism against collectivism. Actions have consequences. Sometimes, you see them. Sometimes, you don’t.
Stephanie Lake has surely proven her relevance in the Melbourne Dance scene with this now refined version of her as yet most successful work, Colossus. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Feature image by Mark Gambino
The Urban Scrapbook 