Is your neck sore?

Nexus Cabaret presented a sold out, 3-night season of Teahouse. The night included two dance pieces, one from Perth troupe Unkempt Dance Collective Tea for Three and the other, Adelaide-based trio presenting Keeping up with the Joneses under Erin Fowler. Each piece showed off the young dancers’ unique abilities in a quirky, off-beat interpretation of physical theatre/contemporary dance. Like its namesake, Nexus was decked out in a cabaret-style seating arrangement, complete with small round tables and chairs, tealights and a bar (serving tea and cupcakes – to fit the theme.)

Tea for Three

Three dancers, Amy Wiseman, Carly Armstrong and Jessica Lewis presented a physical interpretation of the expression of tea – bookending the performance with a soundtrack of spoken text “A Nice Cup of Tea” by George Orwell. The three dancers explored their abilites in a creative physicality; moving, twisting and utilising their bodies more like actors in physical theatre. Tea for Three tells the story of tea and how it is linked to emotive expression. Each dance sequence, whether solo or as a group, explored a different emotion, making use of props such as teacups and pots to embody this.

Several children in the audience were audibly impressed, as were the adults who laughed at the dancers’ almost clown-like acrobatics. They kept the audience entertained at every moment, rather than just pure dancing they were able to engage them through a storyline.

The use of sound techniques complemented the dancing, as in one solo routine echoing footsteps followed the dancer’s tapping feet, even when they didn’t touch the ground! At one point, the soundtrack was of a boiling kettle, which became very ominous when reverberating through the speakers, mirroring an equally sombre dance.

The most fascinating part was the girls sliding across the floor standing on teacups. It was a wonder they didn’t break and this caused many in the audience to rise from their seats to get a better view. The scene that followed was reminiscent of a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, as the dancers explored how many ways they could dance, move, play and wear a teacup.

Keeping up with the Joneses

The second piece investigated the 1950’s house wife, from perfect porcelain representations to a darker exploration of inner turmoil. The three dancers, Erin Fowler, Jessie Oshodi and Mikaila Roe began their piece as happy 1950’s women, complete with red lipstick and frilly aprons. One dancer portrayed a Barbie doll, as another one bent her into odd shapes while the soundtrack of an original Mattel advertisement sounded over the top.

The dancing here required precise movements in a stylised manner and classical techniques were used to explore emotion and movement. The dancers were exuberant, which caused much laughter from the audience but evoked an amateur drama class more than a significant moment. This routine was coupled with upbeat jazz music, which was juxtaposed with a heavy rock number in the next piece.

The performance changed mood and tone completely, coming out of left field to shock the audience into silent awe. The dancers stripped down to their underwear and the dancing became unbridled and dangerous. The most engaging moment was when one dancer jumped onto the back of another, curling her limbs around her. Then all three convulsed on the floor, while the music pulsed and created a sense of fear and sadness. The dancers then redressed in their frilly aprons and they retruned to reality.

It was a powerful metaphor for the struggles of the female to be perfect housewife, explored in two polar opposite pieces. The dancers lay bare their souls and each had a distinct character which they maintained through the entire dance. It displayed a raw talent and bravery on the dancers’ behalf, from which every audience member would take something different home.

As with all art forms, the audience was challenged to interpret what each performance meant. Both groups, Tea for Three and Keeping up with the Joneses successfully managed to shock, entertain and amuse the audience, leading them to question what they saw in each dance piece. The applause lasted long after the dancers exited.

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