Ever wondered why the world builds things only to break them down again? Then you might want to head along to Construct when it hits a theatre near you. Crafted by the late Tanja Liedtke, the award-winning dance work pivots on virtuoso performances and a narrative that means different things to different people.
“Tanja was really interested in making works that were accessible, engaging and could definitely communicate on a subject that wasn’t just random abstract form,” director Solon Ulbrich says. Ulbrich met Liedtke while the two were performing for Australian Dance Theatre, and has now remounted the work after its UK premiere in 2007, and an Australian tour in 08.
The show’s set is a piece of architecture in itself, allowing the dancers to explore the metaphor of building more broadly throughout the 60-minute performance. “You lean two sticks together and you see how that’s all it takes. That’s the most simplest stuff that was originally built, these a-frame lean-tos,” Ulbrich says.
“From there people start taking it to the next level and building in complexity and then they destroy what they’ve rebuilt to get the timber to build a better idea.
“[It’s the same] in our lives, you learn something and you try something else and then you build upon it and then you build again and you start something completely new.”
Modest in scale but not in scope, Construct hinges on only three dancers, some clever design elements and an original soundscape by DJ TRIP.
The Times called it a “small-scale marvel” when it premiered in London two years ago, and critics in the US gave it a similar reception when it toured there in April. Just last week, Construct took out three prizes at the Australian Dance Awards (including best choreography), and is now headed on a five-week tour that starts in Canberra and zigzags between capital cities and regional venues in three states.
Playing to audiences of all sizes, Ulbrich says, is an important part of promoting Australian dance as an industry. “Being accessible is…not being snooty, and only going to big flashy venues,” he says. “It’s always been on our agenda to tour whenever we possibly can wherever we can make it a success.”
And with a certain reality TV show attracting new audiences for dance in droves, Construct just might be the ticket for those eager to learn more. “I think contemporary dance has a much greater impact, especially now. People are fronting up to it,” Ulbrich says.
“Dance is a glorious art form in its own right that can be interpreted and rendered in so many different ways. It’s just currently in vogue and it’s great there’s a bit of a spotlight and a recognition of what a performance can be.”
Construct also plays at Toowoomba’s Empire Theatre, July 4.
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hazyinseptember
said ages ago