Dance
Mar 4-Mar 8 | Reviewed by Kiran Chug

TWO VERY different solo performances from Carol Brown and Charles Koroneho take shape before audiences of Aarero Stone. Brown’s contemporary choreography is set against a carefully designed performance space and riveting sound score, which both form an intrinsic part of the show.

Brown’s solo piece sees her interacting with Dorita Hannah’s set in ways that offer audiences interesting angles for interpretation. What initially appears to be a background wall becomes a prop for Brown, words speed across it so quickly that only a few can be read. Brown’s performance with the stones on stage is more than a mesmerising balancing act, but a considered communication between flesh and stone. Also on stage is a shallow pool of water, which Brown dances on, falls upon and rolls along while celebrating this other medium through which she is able to present her performance. Clothing is another important prop, and as layers are discarded and adjusted, they come to add further layers of meaning to her piece.

Through such intensive use of set and props, Brown is able to present a journey of transformation between states. Flesh and stone become intertwined, and the human body is no longer expressive in the lively and conventional sense, but reliant upon stone and spirit to tell it’s tales. Though the effects are hypnotising at times, the dance itself becomes overshadowed by the concentrated interaction with the performance space and everything else that is going on.

As Brown leaves the stage, drenched in the water she has been rolling in, Charles Koroneho begins his piece. His interaction with the set is hugely different from Brown’s and he has his own repertoire of props to consolidate his performance. The themes are continued, as Koroneho travels through states of being, telling a mythical tale which hangs somewhere between the meeting points of space and time. Drawing laughs from his audience, Koroneho uses his powerful stage presence and a marvellous array of facial expressions to connect with those who watch him.

Koroneho’s piece adds not only a comic element to the show, but also an immensely political one. The sound score assists in evoking the terror and loss that accompany war, while a witty adaptation of the infamous ‘precious’ conversation in Lord of The Rings serves to bring a discussion of the Treaty of Waitangi into the performance.

Both Brown and Koroneho use well chosen and well executed snippets of dialogue, and the impact of the sound scores on both solos is immeasurable. An eclectic plethora of pre-recorded sounds derived from the sounds of stones and branches, samples of Iranian music and other varied sources accompany the performances.

Whilst the effect of each solo differs greatly from the other, both explore lamentation and loss through a presentation of the fluidity of states of nature. Time and space collide while reality and myth collapse into one another. Echoes of European mythologies are followed by threads of Maori ancestral stories, creating an at once local and universal appeal. Most stirring, however, was a memorable performance by Charles Koroneho, who interpreted Brown’s choreography in a fashion that left the audience smiling, laughing and irrevocably moved.

See also:
» Carol Brown on Aarero Stone (Interview)
» Aarero Stone @ NZ International Arts Festival