QL2’s work demonstrates a conscious and rigorous approach to both aesthetics and discourse. Artistic Director Ruth Osborne brings a heightened sensitivity and pluralism to the training of her young dancers and associated representations of youth identity. QL2’s performances display diversity in gender, bodies and ethnicity. Consequently, QL2’s work is a refreshing alternative to the dance aesthetic of the dominant culture, exemplified by television dance shows which seem to be informed by restricted notions of sexual desire. QL2, on the other hand, provides its audience with the aesthetics of liberation.

QL2’s latest work Night. Time., stands as the company’s flagship performance for 2010 , staged at the Playhouse in the Canberra Theatre Centre, and was comprised of five stand alone sections resulting in a cohesive performance. The work was enhanced not only by the thematic link but also by Adam Ventoura’s sound, and Guy Harding’s lighting, designs which insightfully supported and punctuated the performer’s moves. Harding’s use of side lighting worked well in The Playhouse and provided a complementary tone to the work.

The opening segment Night. Light. depicted the rituals associated with preparing for bed. Marnie Palomares’ choreography of this piece evoked the late Pina Bausch’s aesthetic of repetition whilst also revealing Palomares’ skill in converting the mundane into something quite special. The audience was initially hooked by Palomares’ framing of familiar gestures which were then creatively rendered strange. Such choreography was enhanced by the dancers’ committed and synchronic ensemble work. Nick Warnsborough’s digital imagery was regrettably derivative of the film Koyaanisqatsi. Palomares’ imaginative approach to domestic routine deserved an original visual accompaniment.

Night. Mind. explored the science of sleep, specifically the notion of REM. Victoria Worley’s stark white costumes appropriately signed the laboratory setting and contrasted with the darkness of night. The pulsating rhythms of Adam Ventoura’s sound design aptly accompanied the heart beats of the scientific subjects as well as provided an apt conduit for the dancers’ technical movements. It was not clear, however, whether choreographer Anton was critiquing scientific technology or using it to appeal to an audience in a post-sci-fi cinematic age. It is a challenge for creators of live performance in a mediatised culture to retain confidence in their chosen medium. It is not surprising that the aesthetics and subject matter of film and television as well as the associated large budgets and capacity to reach millions of spectators may prove influential to male performance-makers. By comparison to Anton’s Night. Mind., Palomares’ segment was the more inventive and courageous in that her piece demonstrated trust in both her dancers and her medium.

Night. Stir. cleverly depicted insomnia through the conflict between the personified ego and the unconscious. Jodie Farrugia’s choreography depicting the body of the sleeper being moved by the other conveyed the dynamics of sleep control through a riveting juxtaposition of staccato and legato-inspired movements. The dancers who embodied the unconscious donned black hooded jackets. This noteworthy element of Worley’s costume design brought the element of menace to this scenario of discord.

Night. Life. represented choreographer Adam Wheeler’s creative response to his survey of QL2 dancers concerning their real and/or imagined night-time activities. The outcome, the result of collaboration and improvisation was set in an urban landscape and was a varied and vital depiction of life on the streets. Nevertheless, it was difficult to swallow the depiction of what appeared to be homeless youth devoid of exploration of the necessary accompanying social factors. Whilst postmodern approaches to performance may support art for art’s sake and the associated reproduction, without interrogation, of cultural motifs, when it comes to the portrayal of such social predicaments as living on the streets, it is fair to expect a more conscious and perceptive framing of such depictions.

Night. Scape. choreographed by Ruth Osborne portrayed those who work through the night. Security personnel, cleaners, construction workers, health professionals, those who deliver pizza as well as the mother trying to settle her child were all intertwined in a richly entertaining mise-en-scene. Osborne’s inclusion of well-timed slapstick moments not only added humour to her benevolent portrayal of shift workers. The physical demands of this comic technique also displayed the high level of skill development of QL2 dancers. Osborne brings a welcome sensitivity to her work. Through her depiction of night-time chaos, paradoxically achieved through the rigour and precision of her dancers, Osborne rightfully insists that her audience empathise with these employees, perceptively paying heed, also, to the unpaid work of the mother.

Night. Time. through modernist dance represented rich and varied portraits of the night devoid of clichés. The QL2 dancers displayed their dedication and fluency in a range of dance techniques. The aesthetics of Night. Time. relied on the dynamics of ensemble which provided spectators with a consoling alternative to the hierarchised star system.The work of QL2 is technically rigorous, aesthetically diverse, politically sensitive, intellectually stimulating and thoroughly entertaining. Hence, QL2 is a testament to the ability for youth performance to be great performance and not a mere diluted counterpart to the adult mainstage.

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