Te Whaea Theatre
May 25-June 2 | Reviewed by Shruti Navathe

Infinite Thread, currently on at Te Whaea theatre, is a performance comprising thirteen short dance pieces choreographed and danced by second and third year students. The NZ School of Dance students have worked in collaboration with entertainment technology students of Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School, to impressive result.

The performances centre on a theme of ‘fabric’, and each piece has its own unique texture and mood. Different choreographers have chosen to emphasise different aspects of the fabric that they are dealing with; the physical characteristics – texture, weave, drape; the sensual experience, focusing on the emotions the fabric evokes in the person wearing or seeing it; and the social and cultural history – where the material came from, the political circumstances around its production, or its ceremonial significance. With thirteen choreographers there is provision for quite a diverse treatment of what is essentially a shared subject.

The dances are a mix of various styles and impressions, and naturally some worked better than others. Given that the dancers are students of Te Whaea, the level of dancing varied from respectable to breathtaking. The opening sequence, ‘Stretch fabric’, set quite a high standard. Carlos da Silva took one idea and explored it thoroughly. ‘Stretch’ had emotional depth and a variation of mood and movement: light-hearted joy and pride in one’s own flexibility to the inevitable resistance, conflict, and hints of release. This meant that ‘Stretch’ had the depth and intensity that some of the other pieces lacked.

‘Voile’, which followed, had some pieces of choreographic excellence and the constant shift between desires in agreement and in conflict was dealt with well, albeit a bit too lightly for my taste. ‘Lace’ emphasised the sheerness and the mystique of the fabric by using the tango. Here Rhiannon Spratling did reasonably well to evoke the sensuality and strength of lace.

‘Chiffon’ was another piece that worked quite effectively both in terms of the quality of the dancing and the choreography. Kiestyn Austin and Verity Jacobsen admirably expressed the strength underneath seeming fragility that epitomises chiffon. Courtney Poulier’s choreography was tight as well as gentle, and it was something of a masterstroke to have only two dancers on stage.

Following ‘Chiffon’ was that “uniform of the proletariat”, Denim. Samantha Mitchell’s choreography was inventive, though I would have liked the dancing to be somewhat less airy and more grounded in parts. ‘Feathers’ had a light- hearted and quirky feel to it, which the audience responded to. Lauren Langlois used the space well and created a tangible sense of an unmanageable flock.

‘Felt’ was somewhat disappointing. The piece lacked depth and intensity and I found it to be slightly unfocused. ‘Chain-Mail’ picked up the pace and the energy significantly. David Williams’ choreography focused on conveying energy and physical strength. The dance had a swift pace and evoked a sense of the frenetic activity and solid preparation of warriors in training. The following piece ‘Hemp’ suffered from some of the same problems as ‘Felt’. The choreography lacked focus and the piece seemed to be trying to do too many things at once, with too little time at its disposal. As a result the final piece felt superficial and somewhat shallow, which was disappointing, as the potential for emotional depth and exploration was huge.

‘Canvas’ was exquisitely treated. It highlighted the benefits of having a clear vision of the piece one is creating. Verity Jacobsen did an excellent job of conveying the sense of futility of a painter’s tool, while also managing to give the canvas some degree of autonomy and agency. All four dancers expressed the mood beautifully and the paint on the screen behind them was hardly required to get the point across.

Imogen Cranna’s ‘Alpaca’ conveyed the texture of that fabric but didn’t evoke much of an emotional response. ‘Tulle’ was a cute, tongue-in-cheek look at ballet. Sarah Baron’s choreography was elegant and the dancing impressive. The piece humorously highlighted the ballet tradition of making the incredibly difficult look entirely effortless.

‘Brocade’ was the final piece of the night, and began promisingly enough. Unfortunately the choreography failed to explore the variations of rhythm and movement, and ended up making the piece look exotic and gimmicky rather than the joyous clash it initially promised to be.

Overall the quality of dancing was high, some of the credit for which must be due to tutors Malia Johnston, Brenton Surgenor and Tom Beauchamp. The music for the performance was skilfully interwoven by James Dunlop, and he did especially well to find musical accompaniments that succeeded in meeting the diverse needs of the choreographers, while moving from one piece to the next without jarring.

As a varied and often impressive production, Infinite Thread provides a worthwhile view into the new and evolving talent of Te Whaea, NZ School of Dance.