Ten minutes, any dance style, any ability. Anything can happen.

Short + Sweet Dance bills itself as a ‘festival’ whilst simultaneously being a ‘competition’, with the winner of this Auckland series travelling to compete in the Short + Sweet Dance festivals in Melbourne and Sydney. Dance competitions have always made me nervous, whether I am performing or watching, and this was no exception. The fact that there was a ‘secret’ panel of judges lurking in the audience to judge the ‘best’ performances to go through to the Saturday night final added to my unease.

The line up was a kaleidoscopic arrangement of ten works.

M’n’M, choreographed by Simon Watts and Joshua Cesan jolted the audience into performance mode, and while the piece could have been more fluid in how the choreographic ideas and structures were introduced, the six performers were slick and cool to the extreme. The second work of the evening, Ring a Ring a Rosie, a collaborative creation between Melanie Clark, Yasmine Ganley and Alicia Mitchell was polished and well prepared, albeit erring on the side of caution. Justin Haiu and Tama Jarman choreographed and performed The Double Derelicts, a clever comic work that captured the attention of the audience, with dexterous phrases moving on, over and around a shabby sofa.

Following Haiu and Jarman, three tertiary dance students, Rose Philpott, Jahra and Lucy Beeler presented H*A*M. For me this was the highlight of the evening. Touching on the political, interweaving projected images of nearly every famous politician, religious figure, activist and revolutionary over the past century (covering and uncovering these iconic faces with wolf masks), text and movement merged with ideas of conformity, political ideology and resistance. I want to see more, please.

Anna Bate shared her work So Fake It’s Real. The Trailer, and I must admit after seeing the full version presented as part of her Master in Creative and Performing Arts it was tricky to view this with fresh eyes. Full of dry wit and awkward movement that can only be pulled off by talented performers such as Bates, Georgie Goater and Alexa Wilson, this abstract of the longer work was indeed just a taster, a hint of what the full work offered.

After the much-needed interval to absorb the offerings, Evie (I), choreographed by Tracy Valerie Trinder, swept us away with Grecian costuming and illuminating, inquisitive images captured stunningly by videographer Sacha Stejko. 50 cents a day, by Liana Yew, presented a commentary on diverse facets of socio-cultural politics; however, due to the seating arrangements of the theatre the overall effect of the work was lost. Maaka Pepene’s Maui Vs The Machine followed, and Pepene’s movement transitioned us swiftly from fluidity and form to aggression and rage, with the allocated ten minutes too little time for us to be able to join the journey convincingly.

Morag Brownlie’s work If the sun would just stay out for long enough, my laundry could dry, while choreographically underdeveloped, appeared to appeal to the crowd and was certainly very sweet. Entertaining in the most light and humorous way, it depicted a family relationship that I am sure many could relate to. The final performance of the night, Suction, choreographed by Anitra Hayday pushed the physical boundaries of six female dancers. All technically strong performers, there was a feistiness that was tremendously satisfying to observe, and perhaps an approach to movement that exists with youth and fearlessness.

Watching the evening’s line-up I wondered about the role of the competition within this festival, and questioned, is the notion of competition antithetical to dance as art? How does the ‘competition’ affect the choreographers’ creative choices, and does it reduce aspects of artistry to mere technique and flashy showmanship? Underlying these questions is the issue of judgement; specifically on what basis are the ‘secret’ panel of judges making their decisions? Is it a judgement of choreography, technical competency or entertainment? And while having another forum for emerging and established choreographers to perform their work side by side is vital to the development of dance practices, can’t we just enjoy a Short + Sweet festival of dance without turning it into a competition? 

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