This attractive program takes the unpretentious title Homemade Jam, as if to say, ‘We can’t afford to import posh marmalade from Harrods so we’ve made our own jam from the fruit in the orchard here.’ With a full house at both performances, and sold-out printed programs, BalletCollective Aotearoa (BCA) must be pleased to know there are clearly audiences keen to follow their work.

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The Pōneke Festival of Contemporary Dance has presented another inspiring and poignant collection of modern dance works. Working with Tawa College, Ballet Collective Aoteroa (BCA) has again found a way to showcase local creativity and talent, showing what is possible with a group of energised young Pōneke artists. A near full-house was testament to the continuing relevance and popularity of modern dance, and the enthusiastic audience of young and old made their enjoyment clear throughout the evening.

Sarah Knox led-out with Last Time We Spoke, choreographed to music by Rhian Sheehan. The work starts with all six dancers on stage, three men and three women, with five watching Callum Phipps as he begins the piece with a solo. Phipps’s movements exude grace and fragility, perfectly capturing the emotional disconnect from others that Knox aims to convey. The rest of the dancers watch on, detached from the dance at hand, reminiscent of Tim Podesta’s Forte that I recently participated in. As the music progresses so to do the dancers as they switch lightly from one coupling to another with an air of separation, floating effortlessly in dreamy costumes designed by Katie Day. The downlighting changes throughout the work to reflect the emotions being expressed; yellow symbolizing hope and teal signifying melancholy. If I were to pick on a technical point, it would be that not all dancers were always in sync with one another, but in the context of the piece I found this gave the performance a sense of the realness that Knox was looking for. 

Following Knox’s work was Tawa College’s performance of preference for reason, which aims to encapsulate the “increasing polarity and conflict in the on/offline spaces we inhabit”. As the piece begins, the breath of Kit Reilly’s score fills the air of Te Auaha’s small theatre, accompanying the lone  dancer poised motionlessly on stage. One by one, more dancers robotically wander on to dance, gradually building with the music until several rows of dancers are snaking and twisting to the bassline of the music. Each dancer’s movements felt raw and pure as if each was not only exploring their own space but also the constraints of Reilly’s music, their movements building with the intensity of the music. I found at several points that the performance was a plea to the audience to listen (as poignantly stated in the program). A key motif the choreography successfully projected was the act of saying “stop”; appealing for those watching to take a step back, to stop, and to think.

Following the second intermission, BCA returned onstage to perform the night’s highlight and finale, Subtle Dances. Loughlan Prior and Claire Cowan’s history of working together through works such as Cinderella and Hansel & Gretelis evident throughout this work, with the music and choreography combining to deliver a playful and cohesive piece. This sense of play is deliberately explicit throughout the piece, as the males preen and females strut like exotic birds. ‘Flirtatious and sensual’ perfectly describes the partnering in Subtle Dances, as elements of tango and ballroom weave their way into the virtuosic choreography. James Burchell goes from strength to strength with his partnering ability, as his partners float effortlessly from one side of the stage to the other. William Fitzgerald’s slick black costumes drape over each dancer, further accentuating their lines and seductive movements. Prior teases the audience with his quirky work and finds a way to blur the line between gender and sexuality.  Beautifully accompanied by music played by the NZTrio (sadly not live) the cast is deservedly met by chuckles, gasps, and admiring applause. 

Having proved themselves previously at the Auckland Festival and Taranaki Arts Festival, BCA have demonstrated again the talent they possess, showing that there is so much creativity to be found within our community. They highlight homegrown flair, energy and artistry, perfectly delivering Homemade Jam to a rapt audience. Each piece gave the audience a feast for the eyes and food for thought, underscoring just how much positive energy our local communities possess.  All three pieces were conceived by local artists, and the fresh flavour of local works showing local influences and issues was refreshing, and the dancers and choreographers alike were amply rewarded by an enthusiastic and diverse audience. I hope that this support for, and engagement with community-based dance continues, and increases, as the performing arts work to recover further from the effects of the global pandemic. These performances and performers deserve to be recognized and celebrated for what they produce, as the energy, emotion and impact of live performance only seems to grow in importance in a world filled with digital distractions. 

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