Sydney Reviews

Photos – Prudence Upton

From its opening moment In Difference reaches out and activates two very opposing emotional responses. Juxtapositions are abundant in this dance performance that explores sexuality, equality, relationships and humanity. Sorrow and ecstasy share the spotlight; a tender embrace in the blink of an eye becomes an oppressive clutch. In a single moment of movement you will feel vulnerability and power and all that they entail.

In Difference works on two levels. It connects with your heart and with your mind but very rarely at the same time. It will whisper to your soul while your brain tries desperately to hear what is being said. But after chasing soft sounds it relinquishes control and ceases to seek a narrative. Then suddenly you are fed a moment of clarity. A moment when the performers’ bodies are forthcoming with a solid and clear story, but it is brief. The tighter the mind holds on the faster it slips away. What is left is something intangible, something indescribable, something abstract yet wholly understood.

The performers all had a hand in co-creating and under the direction of Craig Bary the dancers are flawless. Their physical presence and the powerful choreography are a remarkable platform for the emotional intensity that their bodies convey. It is the interaction between them, the collaboration of limbs and muscles that illicit a response that is almost overwhelming. The desire to ease their anguish, to quell their sorrow and support their joy is strongly felt.

In Difference is potent in its emotional pull. The beauty of it is that while witnessing remarkable, creative and talented people express a message about equality there is room for the mind and the heart to pour its own stories into the gaps. This performance can’t be defined or held within common definitions but it is remarkably powerful and poignant.


Form Dance Projects and Riverside Theatres presents
IN DIFFERENCE
by Craig Bary

Venue: Riverside Theatres | Corner of Church and Market Streets, Parramatta NSW
Dates: 2 – 4 March 2017
Tickets: $35 – $28
Bookings: (02) 8839 3399 | www.riversideparramatta.com.au