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Written by Ursula Beaumont
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Wednesday, 12 March 2008 |
 Black Grace,
New Zealand’s leading contemporary dance company was a WOMAD exclusive. The performance
included a collection of short sections from the company’s repertoire of celebrated
works, all of which weave a unique fusion of contemporary and Pacific dance
traditions to varying degrees.
A huge crowd gathered and marked out their space well
before the performance began. A hush came over when six male dancers entered the stage and opened the performance
with Fa’a ulutao, a snippet
from a full length work which describes the cultural rite of passage of
tattooing young men. The dancers cut an imposing and powerful image in
the gathering dark.
The personable Neil Ieremia, Black Grace’s founder, artistic director and choreographer also
took to the stage and introduced work and where particular pieces had originated.
He graced the stage with a gentle sense of humour, openness, joy and sharing which
has clearly rubbed off into his choreography.
The second piece for the evening, Minoi, premiered in 1999 and was based on a nursery rhyme which
Ieremia taught the audience. The inspiration for the dance was an energetic Fa'ataupati (Samoan slap dance) building rhythm from
movement and a cappella vocals, an inspiring combination to see coming from
contemporary dancers. Minoi 2 came
from the same source but pumped with a different energy set to the sounds of a throbbing
electronic beat.
In 2002 Black
Grace worked with female dancers for the first time, premiering Human Language. This piece brought yet
another look, sound and story to the stage exploring the physical language
between men and women. It was playful, sexy and funny and still with the
company’s unique fusion of contemporary dance and Pacific influence.
To finish the evening there was a taste of Method, a piece commissioned by the New
Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 1999. Ieremia noted drawing inspiration from
childhood games, which do play out in the dance to Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto
No 3.
The opportunity to see a selection from the company’s
range of works was exciting. The diversity in sound, image and inspiration was striking,
always underscored with a dedication to the artistic heritage of the Pacific
alongside contemporary dance, which resulted in a seamless merging of the
cultures. Ieremia’s choreography was beautiful
in its juxtaposition of grace and grit in its strength. The unique style and its
presentation welcomed the dance novice while being technically proficient for
the dance professional. The dancers’ beauty and grace as artists and power and
dynamism as athletes was breath taking and drew more than a few gasps from the
mesmerised crowd.
Ieremia’s belief in three key
Samoan principles, Fa'amaoni (integrity, honesty and pride), Fa'amalosi/Loto
Tele (perseverance and determination) and Fa'aloalo (humility and respect)
shines strong in the work of the dancers and in Ieremia himself. The WOMAD performance,
the collection of work behind it and what the company stands for is thoroughly
deserving of the standing ovation it received.
WOMAD
Black Grace
Venue: Stage 2 | Botanic Park. Adelaide
Dates: 8-9 March
Information: www.womadelaide.com.au
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