This show would be a great show for Year 8-12 students as it highlights the power of advertising; the power of movement and ...

A woman enters the stage and sits on a red bean bag in front of a TV. She has the expression and body language of someone stuck in a monotonous lonely routine. Adorned in daggy gray track-suit pants with phone in hand, she is the perfect target for late night swindle TV advertisements.

Up for sale tonight are ties! The long, useless piece of material that hangs from the necks of many males and females becomes the prime objective of the advertising pitch, which, complete with overly enthusiastic voice-over and reports customers who were “changed” post purchase! Our bean bag woman calls and orders her very own tie, her door bell rings immediately and she becomes the owner of a tie!

Once on, the tie throws her into a world of tie wonder and accopanied by the the tie advertisers, they dance around to the sounds of familiar tunes. They are oh so snazzy in their suits and of-course, their ties; comically showing the audience just how versatile and wondrous a tie can be!

The woman come to the realization the tie is irrelevant when it comes to her happiness. When unclothed she is still her human self and not even the beautiful dancers in their ties can change it. Yes, there was mild nudity so parental guidance, or parental consent for school groups may be advisable.

Choreographed by Erlandsen and her ensemble of dancers, the comical advertising dialogue worked extremely well with the movement and well formed characters. It was a combination of entertaining characters; a healthy does of comedic dialogue with music to suit, topped with witty contemporary dance. There was good mix of comedy and dance to ease you into the art of contemporary dance with out feeling like you need a degree to understand it.

The lighting and props were kept to a minimum yet it was still a quality show with an interesting mix of dance and comedy that complimented each other and didn’t need the bells and whistles to entertain. The performers were witty and the dance and comedy wonderfully balanced with one another which managed to keep the audience engaged throughout the performance. It was a well structured piece that allowed the crowd to enjoy the work and have a giggle at the sorry truth that is advertising and marketing today.

A high budget performance is not always necessary to entertain; Tie is a great example of this.

This show would be a great show for Year 8-12 students as it highlights the power of advertising; the power of movement and facial expression; use of the techniques taught in music, drama and dance classes.

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