Megan Amato takes in the ‘unforgettable’ Korean dance performance Sleeper.
★★★★★
You know you’re in for a titillating performance when you walk into the theatre and a mysterious translucent stand is waiting for you on stage. It wasn’t until the lights dimmed and the show began – five minutes after we entered – that I realized there was someone curled up inside said stand.
Had he been in that box even as the audience filled the room? If so, his breath-taking control is to be commended.
Music starts, the sound of children playing in the background filters on stage and so do the dancers in nearly identical outfits. Their movements are synchronised as they dance around the stand to perform deliberate, ritualistic movements as the man slowly comes to life within. Are they worshipping or exorcizing him?
Then, the man breaks free, ripping out from the stand into a stumbling solo that grows more confident and beautiful the longer he performs. The dancers mood shifts and their ceremony becomes frantic as they tie him up in knots and the shaman bell rattles come out.
Sleeper stunningly blends traditional Korean Mugyo (shamanism) practices into a riveting, contemporary dance that had each member of the audience on a bated breath. Their rhythmic, atmospheric movements drew on almost every sense, crafting an other-worldly feeling in the room that was palatable.
An unforgettable performance that left me yearning for more. Be kind to yourself and don’t miss out on this show.
Assembly @ Dance Base – Dancebase 1
Aug 6-11, 13-18.
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