Latest Reviews

Photo - Dee Conway

It’s shows like this that make you realise how unbearable life would be without art. There are moments of pure joy to be had here. This show is clearly cutting edge; a fusion of modern dance styles, with elements of hip hop, popping and contemporary, that is both deeply affecting and hugely entertaining.

These two works are choreographed by Jerusalem born Hofesh Shechter, who now works in the UK with his own company. The first, Uprising, is an ode to men and one of the most moving dance pieces I’ve ever seen. As seven male dancers stride forward from a blaze of white light, their raw masculine energy engulfs you. The thumping, tribal music underscores this energy and makes for a wild thirty minute ride. The men dance through the ages, struggling to understand the question: do we love or fight each other? Both, so it seems: at one point pairs of dancers grasp at each other’s heads and hold each other’s faces in a push-pull of desire and aggression that is evocatively choreographed and performed. The rain sequence, with sounds reminiscent of heavy artillery, is outstanding. The lighting, the synchronicity of the dancers, and the haunting realisation of men at war combine to form an extremely powerful moment that stays with you long after the show is finished.

In Your Rooms exhibits a fantastic use of space to evoke the concepts of light and dark, inner and outer, reality and absurdity. The dancing is exquisite and the live music lends much to the overall experience of the piece. The music, in fact, is mesmerizing, the drums an integral part of the performance. In Your Rooms is about cosmic chaos and order, about the exquisite pain and confusion of being human in this vast room of a universe. Despite the somewhat desolate theme, the piece is heady and manic and a complete joy to watch.

I highly recommend Uprising and In Your Rooms.


Hofesh Shechter Company
Uprising & In your rooms

Choreography Hofesh Shechter

Venue: the Arts Centre, Playhouse
Duration: 1hr 30min with interval
When: Fri 9 October – Mon 12 October 2009 at 8pm
Bookings: the Arts Centre 1300 182 183 www.theartscentre.com.au | Ticketmaster 1300 136 166 | www.melbournefestival.com.au