BY CELINE CHONG
Everyday Requiem
Expressions Dance Company and The Australian Voices
QPAC, 12 October
Vignettes from the past play back like the scenes from a movie…
Reflections of your former selves just as profoundly alive as you are…
At his 70th birthday party, a man reflects on the story of his life – his childhood rivalry with his brother, falling in love for the first time, the birth of his daughter, his time at the war, and so on.
Told through a collaboration between Expressions Dance Company and The Australian Voices, Everyday Requiem was a beautifully poignant and deeply reflective work. There couldn’t have been a more fitting end to artistic director Natalie Weir’s time with EDC.
As always, the dancing was exquisite, and Everyday Requiem was definitely my favourite EDC production of the year. With dancers Brian Lucas, Jake McLarnon, Jag Popham and Richard Causer all playing the role of the man at different stages of his life, each artist captured a unique perspective while still conveying the same essence of personality. Synchronised movements cleverly established their joint identity, while the effective costuming worked to ground each dancer in a different era of time.
Alana Sargent and Lizzie Vilmanis were both captivating as the man’s daughter and wife, respectively; and both showed an immense depth of emotion through their movements. But particularly moving was the paired dance between Isabella Hood and Jake McLarnon. This was a stunning work of choreography, capturing the beauty and innocence of the man and his first love.
A small group of singers from The Australian Voices provided the full 90 minutes of music for this production, with the music composed by their musical director Gordon Hamilton. Incorporating the singers into the stage action showed just how tightly the two art forms were woven together for Everyday Requiem. And the integration of modern text within the traditional Latin requiem was equally well done.
Hamilton has cleverly used lists of objects and words (think “pencil, ruler, eraser, scrapbook”!) as the basis for much of the music, hitting home the idea that the extraordinary really does lie in what is seemingly ordinary. At the same time, the Latin plainchant text was used to match the events of the man’s life, adding yet another tie between past and present.
Singing acapella for such an extended amount of time was truly impressive and TAV’s performance was marked with rhythmic playfulness, character and drive. Not a single word was lost on the audience! The only element that could have been subtler was the conducting by one of the ensemble members. Because her conducting was obvious and pronounced, the constant hand movements seemed out-of-place and became a slight distraction from the dancing.
Overall, however, Everyday Requiem was a beautifully reflective work. Drawing on the simple yet universal themes of family, love, and relationships, Weir has crafted a story that tells all stories. The old man is never named, and so quite easily represents each one of us. And as the joys and sorrows of his story are laid bare through the dance and the music, we too are gifted with an opportunity. A chance to pause and reflect on the simultaneous complexity and beauty of life.
Images supplied. Credit: David Kelly.
