Sydney Opera House, Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre.
August 29, 2024.
New Zealand/New Zealand Fresh Movement Collective (FMC) presents a poignant, poetic and explosive dance drama performance left Going to the Sydney Opera House in August this year. The troupe of 30 performers from diverse Pacific Island backgrounds tell their shared origin story through the folklore of the demigod Maui. Maui has a legendary and heroic story that is a very important part of the island’s ancient history, through his birth, life, and epic journey across the water that led his people to what we now know as Where the Polynesians live.
A performance full of passion and energy, left A celebration using dance, theatre, media, music and song, FMC takes us on a narrative journey intertwined with a strong advocacy statement for a culture of respect. The dance form is a fusion of Polynesian folkloric dance, modern dance, capoeira and various hip-hop dances. It was a rhythmic, energetic, inspiring and insightful journey that this delightful crew took us on.
The choreography is performed in small and large groups, some with a full crew, some with just women, or just men, and each group brings light and shadow, as well as variations in various styles that are often combined to create Unique action. Traditional Polynesian movement and block structure, fused with the lyrical power of hip-hop, the choreography is exciting, powerful, and sung to music that is equally layered and textured. The crew is not a classically trained group, so the modern dance moments lack the extension and technique of traditionally trained dancers, but they do not lack heart, energy, and performance quality, which means there is no shortage of technique. Get it from the message. However, technical training may further enhance it.
The work is set against a backdrop of humour, storytelling techniques, live music and screen media, paired with simple clothing with culturally-typed graphics and simple pants and T-shirt combinations, focusing on the inner essence of the performer’s attitude and their attitude towards it. The passion for the story being told. They don’t rely on massive staging to get their message across. Their energetic singing and live music added wonderful harmonies to the atmosphere, which are natural to the native Polynesian people, using some native elements from the English language. It has been pointed out that language is one of the ways of removing culture from a people, and this is shown in the form of creative step/rhyme sequences.
this season’s left Here are founding members of the FMC team Hadleigh Pouesi (Māori/Samoan), Christopher Ofanoa (Tongan/Pākehā), Chantelle Huch (Samoan) and Byron Fa’aui (Tongan/Samoan) Six Performing together for the first time in years, the crowd goes crazy every time one of them takes the stage; the atmosphere in the theater is electric. This special piece was created/orchestrated by Pouesi, Ofanoa founding members and performers Leilani Elliott, Kimberley Evans and William Rakena.
Although most thematic and structural elements of this work are often subtly lacking, lacking the elements of craftsmanship that often dominate professional corporate work, left It’s fun, educational, and entertaining. It contains valuable insights into the intrinsic and intrinsic value of listening to and communicating with those who have ancestral connections to the earth on which we live, allowing their voices to be an important part of our conversations and their vibrant cultures to shine through. The juxtaposition of joy and struggle throughout Maui’s life is a poignant reminder that Maui’s story is intertwined with the islands and its people. This celebration of his life brought the audience and the theater to a boil, an effect that comes from witnessing something truly profound and true.
By Linda Badger of Dance Informa.