Footnote Dance presents their 2009 showcase of contemporary New Zealand dance:  a considered cross-section of home-grown work at varying stages of development.

1. Time of Our Life
– choreography:  Deidre Tarrant and Footnote dancers
– Music:  All the Goodness by Fly My Pretties

An exuberant feel underscores Tarrant’s opening work in a rapidly stepped entry of strong, clear lines.  Individual dancers’ expressive gesture and diverse geometries merge, gathered together in moments of synchronised unison.  Distinct roles swell into the collective roll as each dancer’s colour is both celebrated and integrated into the company prism. 

All the Goodness presents a consciously joyful face; simple in delivery but disarming in its reflection on dance as an ineffable expression of life.  An off-centre tableau vivant concludes the work as the company casts its energised gaze towards an expectant horizon.

2. Carry the Boy
– choreography:  Katie Burton and Footnote dancers
– Music:  Sally Nicholas and Josh Tilsley

A clearly articulated study of gendered social order, the scene is set by a shadow image of washing on the line.  Announcing man’s entry upside down and supported by a trio of women, a suggestive gong sounds, its acoustic mixed with a spadeful of gravel. 

As two men sit watching on either side of the stage, their backs to the audience, the moving figure of four (the three women and the carried man) begin a visibly strained play of balance and transfer of weight.

The considered use of sound continues as a percussive rattle announces the separation of gender as the women transition to masculine, cartoon-like dolls with heavy fists and a rigid walk.

A collision of bass and tinkle suggests either a broad spectrum of male identity or a great divide as the shift in music effects an exchange of focus to the men.  With knotted hearts and clipped wings, the men make unified balletic leaps lending skippy toes a Scottish flavour. 

In the end the ensemble all line up to fall in and out of a cascading wave.  The work finally resolves in a reconstruction of the opening image but with less symmetry and with man supporting man in the reconstructed frame.

3. Crash Test Dummies
– choreography:  Malia Johnston and Footnote dancers
– Music:  Eden Mulholland

Shifting male energies of mal-intent make several sliding and short-stopped entries as exploded chests jam to the sound of battle.  Man is alone.  He is broken glass in a monochromatic myopia of angered black pants and white singlets. 

Eventually a gentle collision of three tumbles into gunfire.

The use of the landscape of the body echoes Johnston’s earlier work Terrain as bare back and rippling shoulder muscles dance in isolation, exhibiting the dancer’s skin.

Rugby and floral snatches of movement to the lyrics "love you, love you long time" are followed a short time later by "I’m gonna find you /I’m gonna kill you," consciously integrated with the lingering sound that pushes like an insistent head butt of movement against the reverb.

There’s a beautiful big break and some spinning reaches in which I wish I lived.  In the end though the trio collects to the corner with heads down and arms over in a cowering pose like birds in the rain. 

4. Little Sister
– choreography:  Jesse Wikiriwhi
– Music:  Joshua Rutter featuring The Willow Singers 

A child-like collage of crawl, leap and upside down legs weave together an awkward conversation.   Jesse Wikiriwhi’s choreographic debut comes into its own however in the second half of this work as bunchy short overalls transform to dresses printed with leaves, introducing a more defined dynamic.

Prior to this section, the generative force of the movement is unclear.  Faceless walking and the peripheral use of stage, while establishing a sense of loss and oppression, reduce the dynamic needed to carry the work.

The final phrases of Little Sister feature an emotionally powerful combination of music and movement imagery as two dancers, restrained by black bands of fabric extending to off stage, exhibit a slow motion run. 

Perhaps the contained suspension and powerful imagery of these final moments is where the work really begins as I re-imagine Little Sister with this as its new point of departure.

5. "I Don’t Mind"
– choreography:  Michael Parmenter with Jesse Wikiriwhi and Francis Christeller
– Music:  Dudley Benson songs from The Awakening 

With a poetic depth and lyrical colour that I have come to recognise as Michael Parmenter’s dance signature, I Don’t Mind is a circular waltz of dreamy dance sketches that explore the way in which we move one another.

Despite technical glitches with the sound, dancers Jesse Wikiriwhi and Francis Christeller maintain the travelling duet of which I Don’t Mind is composed, easily absorbing unplanned interruptions within what appears to be a structured improvisation.

As the work unfolds I find myself drawn into a danced Deposition; Christ’s descent from the cross after death.  Spinning accents of joy upon edges of surprise, the recurrent motif of a collapsed Christ echoes through this work in a gentle, reflective tide.  

As the dancers fall and collect each other I interpret the subtext of this dance as one of a forgiving exchange.  A call to consider reaching beyond the spear that pierces our side or tears at "the heart in these ribs," to ask what it is we can offer each other, as opposed to what it is we can take away.

6. Nest
– choreography:  Raewyn Hill
– Music:  David Long 

I saw this work last year and seeing it again it is with interest that I note Nest was inspired by the choreographer’s experience of "men in Hong Kong who take their birds to a park to socialise them."

With both costuming and movement somehow otherworldly, i.e. removed from the earthly quality that characterises the balance of works in the current showcase (poetically described in an earlier review by Lyne Pringle as ‘a fecund mulch,’) Hill’s work appears to sit rather precariously at the edge of a different nest.

Like a delicate, oriental egg carefully suspended over said mulch, Nest announces itself in classy suits (minus the shirts…) and a pretty blue frock.  The work that ensues paints a picture of what I would describe as an artistically athletic ménage-a-trois.  "Gender neutral" I read in the program notes; thus it is with renewed focus that I attempt to re-interpret the lovely bird, busy making pliés in the air off men’s chests (with an admittedly bird-like disdain), as anything other than a woman engaged in a romantic game.

However, with music box weight and a back arch of romantic steam-train sound, a boom storm feather flurry and a tom tom drumming underground, the bird doll is down and going round and round in clawing circles like an abandoned broken musical duck and its difficult not to assign a strongly human dimension to the narrative as it comes to a close before me.

7. Quick Unpick
– choreography:  Sarah Foster
– Music:  Andrew Foster

Based on the movement iconography of a picking knitting stitching conglomerate, Quick Unpick features notably short black dresses on the women embroidered with a skull.  A witchy central figure soon emerges to thread her way through a dark constellation of deftly constructed duets enacted under a starless sky.

An elastic weaving creates a grim maypole of sorts; a tangle of notions (possibly all equally incorrect).  While I’m loving this dance because its making me laugh I am not convinced by the witchy conjuring hands of the central protagonist:  they remind me too much of a disco form of Kate Bush and her ‘Wuthering Heights’ (woooooooOOOoo). 

Actually I love Kate Bush.

The prism of elastic bands appears to be colour blind as I see only red and green and a shaking head, making me wonder about the things unsaid and the stitches unseen.  A moment of high-pitched brilliance occurs in the thrown figure of Anita Hunziker as she stabs her naked legs with great skill into the height of the material air. 

This is a beautifully executed work, the tone of which reminds me of Mary Jane O’Reilly’s Witch Bitch, performed earlier this year at Te Karanga Gallery.  The eventual release of elastic bands brings a moment of upended freedom although the dancers appear to nonetheless remain isolated, still trapped perhaps within the imagined machinations of the knitting and the picking.
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Footnote Dance is very wholesome, curiously adolescent after 25 years of existence, and not very sexy.  

Enthusiastic, joyful, adventurous and inarguably an important nurturer of talent, yes. But in spite of the calibre of some of the choreographers – Michael Parmenter, Raewyn Hill and Malia Johnston rate among the country’s finest and all contribute works in this season – their programmes never quite deliver an adult frisson of excitement, tingle the spine or bring a rush of blood to the head.

Perhaps it’s a Wellington thing? [More]
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Footnote Dance Company’s Made in New Zealand programme is an important event on the annual dance calendar; there is always a warm buzz in the Wellington Opera House as the occasion unfolds. This is a testament to the stoic web of relationships that the company and Deirdre Tarrant have built with their ‘home’ crowd over the years.

Like a treasured midden that accumulates layers and textures over time, this choreographic showcase is enriched by the work of seasoned choreographer Michael Parmenter and next generation choreographer Raewyn Hill – the ongoing relationship that Deirdre is nurturing with a particular stable of artists is reaping benefits. The evening is a deep and fecund mulch; an archaeological site of tenacity. This deserves celebration.

Deirdre Tarrant should give herself the time and the space to choreograph a major work for the company, now there’s an idea – we only ever get glimpses of her craft in works such as The Time of Our Lives to music by Fly My Pretties with its satisfying texturing of phrases. Her dances always bring a sense of levity and ensemble to the evening and I value them for this.

Michael Parmenter‘s work has me teasingly sitting forward – I am unsure where to place it in my expectation and experience of it – somehow delightfully perplexing. You’ve got to take your hat off to this guy for sticking to his guns in terms of presenting the exact nuance of performance research that is fascinating him at present.

Set against the context of his lifetime devotion to somatic expression, "I Don’t Mind" sits as a corny, sweet, tender, kind of ‘feeling its way’ duet between Jesse Wikiriwhi and Francis Christeller – dancing with brilliance and beauty.

For years Michael has investigated the possibilities of momentum and lifting, the endless possibilities of two bodies in close weaving proximity; using – on a mechanical level – grips levers and angles, to make – on an artful level – sweeping arcs as one body helps another to defy gravity.  In his latest investigations all is pared away; there is a new sense of guiding, of a willingness to share control and see where the movement goes – not so spectacular, more introverted, more tender.

His quest for the poetic language of two bodies in absolute synchronicity reaches deeper to the expression of two souls communing in sweet yearning for I suspect complete transcendence of the individual. As such this choreographer’s bold quest deserves respect. I felt as if I was seeing something contemporary.

Dudley Benson’s music is so distinct and idiosyncratic ‘time is a rascally burglar’ that at times I felt overloaded with the complexity of the visuals and the demands of the lyrics – there is relief when they move in silence.  Two people I spoke to after said they enjoyed it immensely; that this choreographer can still surprise and delight speaks volumes.

Beginning his choreographic journey is Jesse Wikiriwhi with his work Little Sister, about his mother’s experiences of abuse in a catholic boarding school. He manages to distil imagery and movement vocabulary to successfully capture the impact these experiences must have had on her life.

An ingenious use of costume (designer not credited in the programme) provides a real surprise as the three sisters, lovingly danced by Anita Hunziker, Sarah Knox, and Claire Lissaman, support and cajole each other through an emotional minefield. The forlorn and melancholic atmosphere of the work is supported by images of legs dangling into space, giving a sense of being ungrounded as well as a repeating motif of falling backwards into each other’s arms as if sucked into the past.

Meaty subject matter was moulded into a satisfying structure and tone: a promising debut.

What I enjoy about Malia Johnston‘s work is that she manages within the first few moments to conjure a distinct world.  This is in part due to the relationship with long time collaborator Eden Mulloholland who has created a gorgeous richly textured score (he gets better and better), and the placement and quality of the movement on stage, so that we are drawn immediately into the work.

Crash Test Dummies uses exactly this concept as well as the issue of repeated violent images prevalent in our society – yes another deeply serious concept in the programme but this is leavened by the clever sound-scape which introduces a tickle of humour and a unique vocabulary of flung head, body shifts and flick leaps.

The somatic personalities of Poi, Wikiriwhi and Christeller are revealed as they move through repeating patterns of support and fling. The men shine in this programme; they are working well together. 

Carry the Boy by Katie Burton, for the whole company, hasn’t yet made the transition from workshop idea to fully-fledged dance piece. Her desire to mix up the gender roles that are so prevalent in dance is a nice and much-needed area of investigation; there are some strong movement ideas that could have do with more cooking to bring out the invention

The three men of the company dancing on toes with arms tucked like flightless chicken/swans bring an element of humour but the unison dance phrases need more texture and the overall structure of the work doesn’t arrive.

Sarah Foster is moving from strength to strength. Her second work for the company, Quick Unpick, to music by Andrew Foster, pays tribute to the North Otago Embroiderer’s Guild both in terms of the intricacies of the craft and the social milieu. It is clever and unpretentious: a rich, simple yet complex concept for a dance piece. 

The vocabulary swings between tight quirky phrases for the upper body and long cool needle gestures with the legs with some original partnering, where Anita Hunziker – a focussed, precise whirlwind of energy throughout the evening – is tossed and threaded by the other dancers.

Coloured elastics emerge and surround Sarah Knox in a solo of breathtaking Balanchine-ish beauty. Knox is stunningly elegant amidst the tense architectural shapes of the elastic as the other dancers create lines of energy around her.

Foster’s vocabulary becomes more luscious as the work progresses. To the clicking of knitting needles we are lulled into a meditative space as movement patterns are repeated over and over to conjure the peace, companionship and claustrophobia that would pervade a country guild.

Nest by Raewyn Hill is beautifully danced by Hunziker, Wikiriwhi and Poi and [like Finders Keepers, which premiered last month in Wanaka at the Southern Lakes Festival of Colour] is inspired by men in Hong Kong who take their songbirds to socialise in a local park. [Nest premiered in the Footnote Forte 2008 season and is discussed in more detail in that review.]
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This programme of 7 short works showed the company in good form as they tour to several centres, helping to mark New Zealand Music Month.

It seems superfluous to have all the programme details spoken in voice-over at the beginning. Those with a printed programme don’t need it, folk without one won’t remember anyway. It sets a "dance in education" tone which is perhaps why the first two works seemed like demonstrations.

The third work, Testing Crash Dummies, made immediate impact however. Its convincing dynamics of movement were choreographed by Malia Johnston, on and against Eden Mulholland’s lively score. Three men and issues of masculinity explored.

Jesse Wikiriwhi made an impressive first work for the company. Little Sister is based on his mother’s early life, referencing all too painfully the hardships endured by children whose families cannot give them the upbringing that is their birthright. The poignant ending, to a snatch of E Hine, allowed a glimpse of release for at least one of the children. Three girls and issues of sad childhood explored.

"I Don’t Mind", by Michael Parmenter, is a duo for two men. Its beguiling quality seemed mysteriously like weightless slow-motion jiving. The performers, Wikiriwhi and Francis Christeller, shared leading and following, leaning and lifting, giving and taking, from an improvisation technique to provide the movement vocabulary.  A couple and their relationship explored.

Raewyn Hill’s Nest is a beautiful meld of encaged dark with aspiring hope of release. It gave Anita Hunziker a heightened role of the evening and she did not waste the opportunity. The final sequence of flying towards light, seemingly on the ground, through water and airborne all at once, proves memorable. Chiaroscuro explored.

Sarah Foster made an intriguing work with a strong expressionist design that was a good foil to he rest of the programme.  Titled Quick Unpick, its nervous electricity of arm gestures evoked an insect kingdom, yet the abstract nature of the movement also allowed us to read it as pattern or allegory if we chose.

Sarah Knox had the central role in this very interesting choreographic concept, with echoes of Oskar Schlemmer and Bauhaus art.  Perhaps I glimpsed in Knox’s dancing some inspiration from the company’s recent workshop with the remarkable Susanne Linke, visitor from Germany?  20th century dance history explored. 
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Footnote Dance Company makes a comeback to the Dunedin Fringe Festival with a whole new repertoire. 2009 Made in New Zealand includes works created by New Zealand choreographers in collaboration with New Zealand composers.

Carry The Boy, choreographed by Katie Burton and the company dancers, addresses gender equity. The girls flex their biceps, tap their chests in a haka fashion, while the boys execute funked-up ballet routines to the underlying sweet tunes of the Nutcracker. Overall, the choreography is a bit tentative and the theme slightly contrived.

A scene at a Hong Kong market where birds are captured and caged ready to be sold sparked the idea for the amazing work Nest, by Raewyn Hill. The piece soon picks up pace and achieves an intense climax with breathtaking lifts and falls. The choreography is seamless and the dancing by the trio of Jeremy Poi, Sarah Knox, and Jesse Wikiriwhi is effortless and inspiring. 

Malia Johnston’s Crash test dummies teases our imagination, tackling the hot issue of violence, especially amongst youngsters. Without actual physical confrontation, only quirky movements and body isolations, the three boys engage in the most convincing fight, complemented by music composed by Eden Mulholland. The piece ends on a different note as the dancers follow each other across the stage in slow motion with fluid, eloquent moves.

Little Sister by Jesse Wikiriwhi is devoted to his grandmother’s growing up in an orphanage. In this work, Wikiriwhi has laid the key foundations for his first choreography for the company, which he can now develop by expanding the movement vocabulary. Throughout the piece he captures the essence of growing up in an orphanage and conveys the various emotional states, particularly in the powerful ending.

The last piece, Quick Unpick by Sarah Foster, is about tapestry classes and everything that goes with them. It is an intriguing work with innovative movement vocabulary. The ordinary actions of threading a needle or cross-stitching are abstracted and manipulated rhythmically often to a frenzy which is juxtaposed to elegant and beautiful moves. It is a strong and coherent piece that showcases the company.

Overall, an enjoyable night of homegrown works performed with passion and commitment by the whole company. 
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