Reece Caldwell, Simon Mazziotti, Alli Carry and Mio Sakamoto from ‘Unfurl’, Photo by Drew Berry
Presented by Marina Robinson
Opening video footage of news reports suggest a chaotic modern world. A lone figure clutches at her ears, desperate to block out the bombardment. A woman in a pantsuit marches across the stage with a briefcase—caught up in the daily grind. A pair saunter through behind, hand-in-hand—a new couple, it seems.
Unfurl, a contemporary dance work choreographed by Marina Robinson, sets up isolated urban types, then strips them of their outwardly alienating exteriors.
Individualistic outer layers are shed, exposing each of the dancers as more generically human, then brings them together. The finale, when they are all in-sync, offers up are the most upbeat, exhilarating moments. Though my favourite segment is earlier—the pair from the opening, in an intimate encounter, getting entwined in a hoodie.
There are a lot of contrasting, compelling vibes, with Luke Gruntz sound design providing a unifying atmosphere. Though I feel like more could have been done with visual aesthetic to draw us in. In particular, it seems odd that video projection is introduced at the beginning and only used once again briefly
There is a lot of dynamic, intriguing patterns of movement, but it didn’t resonant all that deeply for me.