Up in the elevator, welcomed with warm tea and then into a white Yoga space. Already refreshed, invited to sit on a cushion facing a wall that says E hoa mā I nā te ora o te tangata – friends, this is the essence of life. It is above two Sanskrit words satya – truth and ahisma – non-injury. These thoughts cleanse the palate of the mind.

Four dancers, all in white, are already moving.  As we settle, this company of embodied humans start to explore the resonant possibilities of this room.  The sounds of the city penetrate: people talking in ground floor bars, sirens wailing, cars racing, chirping birds settling in for the night – a bubbling, ever shifting cacophony of sound. In the midst of constant change is serenity and stillness as they sculpt and mould the air around their bodies with deep internal focus. The unfolding sound design by Dūm, Alexander, Jackie Jenkins is sensitive, creating an emotional and rhythmic map for them to follow. 

Hands are held aloft, wafting, seed heads in a breeze, then their whole bodies are picked up and moved by impulses that flow in a murmuration of group intent. Undulating watery torsos, twirl, arch and create lines that melt away in a shared song of fall and release. Balancing on one leg them tumbling to skid belly down into the floor before rolling and rising. Arms become sculpted like antlers.  

Ella Williams steps forward, beautifully herself – tender subtle, intricate and snaky with filigreed hands. The group fuses again into co-operative duets of counterweight, lift, post, push and continued deep awareness of each other. Like smoke sculpting itself as it moves. Feet are sensitive in a slowed down and hunched walk, – emulating Thich Nhat Hanh’s quote ‘walk as if your feet are kissing the earth’.

Hannah Scholten and Lachlan Broughton sink into a duet the emanates support and care. Partnering techniques are used to show the potential for holding and moving another human. It is pleasingly egalitarian and like any productive relationship, deftly constructed and inhabited. 

The space becomes, sunrise/sunset golden as the music builds and the tempo of the work picks up, signalling a new chapter. Movement is sharp and staccato, like molecules beginning to boil. Bodies join and separate with rapidity, anchored on the architecture of marvellous sound. 

On the old shiny wooden floorboards, a playful jig starts up – we clap along.  Syncopated solos emerge. It is a healing ritual, joy drowns out all other noise. Eventually the dancers slowly wind down. One of their ranks, subtly, struggles to find his duende. It feels like the expected place to finish, ‘on a high’ as they say.

But then, Braedyn Togi conjurs a solo.  As the others become prone, energy dissipated,  he cyphers and maps through the space in his own unique way. This solo is a welcome addenda that bends the piece into a different kind of shape, adding texture to the whole. All joy has an under-belly perhaps? Togi is brave in his efforts as he seeks but doesn’t seem to find ‘plain sailing’. The group folds round him once more offering support and the possibility to keep moving – he is not left on his own.
Through their focus and commitment they have delivered an uplifting dance piece.

This is a spiritual offering from Lachlan Broughton – creator, producer, choreographer, dancer, dramaturge.  It is a soothing balm in these troubled times and a reminder that we need to move and work together. 

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