Spellbinding, truth-telling dance, music and acting.
Presented by Australian Dance Theatre in association with ILBIJERRI Theatre Company
Reviewed 11th March, 2023
If you sit quietly and listen and watch, the tiny unassuming seed of this hybrid dance/drama show will germinate, sprout and grow into a towering, many-branched tree, filled with rich narrative. This is often the way with First Nations things. (Ever been to an inma and you didn’t know when it actually started until it was well under way?). This wise, kind production will do more to build trust and respect between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians than a raft of royal commissions.
The idea to tell the story of Alec “Tracker” Riley (1884-1970) came from his great-great-nephew, Daniel Riley, since last year the Artistic Director of Australian Dance Theatre. Melbourne-based ILBIJERRI Theatre Company initially commissioned the project. This production, a collaboration between ADT and ILBIJERRI, has both Rachel Maza and Daniel Riley as Co-Directors, and Riley as Choreographer. The genesis of this work has meant that it is a fusion of dance, drama and music, conveying the story in many different ways and with simultaneously layered meanings.
Five performers present the work: three dancers, an actor and a musician. All are indigenous. So are the Co-Directors, the writers of the spoken text (Ursula Yovich and Amy Sole), the set designer, the composer and the lighting designer. Project Elders (Aunty Shirley Mathews and Aunty Ann Cribb) are part of the Creative Team. Commitment to the integrity of the project is evidenced by its consistent excellence throughout. This is no “dot-painting for tourists” art job.
Narrating the work by embodying both Alec Riley (back in the early 20th century) and his present-day descendant, is actor Ari Maza Long. His understated, engaging persona brings to life both the modern-day young dad, searching for his indigenous spirituality and Alec Riley, patient police tracker, the first Aboriginal person to be made a Sergeant in the NSW Police Force, fluent in the “quiet language” he had learned from his elders. Maza Long embodies gentle strength and constant observation.
The three dancers (Tyrel Dulvarie, Rika Hamaguchi and Kaine Sultan-Babij) are central to the emotion and spirit of the work. From their first slow floor rolls across the stage, much like spirit entities emerging from the earth, to clumps and clusters of vehement action, duos, solos and canons, the dance standard of all three is superb, realising Riley’s economic choreography. Dulvarie’s strength, speed and empathy are remarkable. Outstanding in its eloquence is Hamaguchi’s solo for the death of Ruby.
Sound design and music are the result of James Henry’s composition skill. Both sound texturing and music serve the spirit and energy of the story, without obtruding into the essential dramatic flow. It is beautifully balanced, clever work. (Remember Ry Cooder’s music for the film Paris, Texas? That will give you an idea of the uniqueness and authority of this music.) The live musician onstage (situated at the back of the performance) is musician and composer Gary Watling, who plays pedal steel guitar so beautifully that Lucky Oceans needs to worry.
Lighting by Chloë Ogilvie is sensitive to the demands of dance as an artform, the conventions of theatrical lighting and the uniqueness of this cross-pollinating project.
The performing space is circular, bounded by Jonathan Jones’ huge curtain track, from which hangs two scrims (one painted with a monochrome bushland riverscape, the other with chevrons) and two drops of foliage. All these curtain elements are shifted throughout the show. Sometimes we view the performance through a scrim. Like a metaphor for Dreamtime, it’s about things that we perceive but are distanced from us. Jones’ set design is both sensitive and clever, serving the narrative elegantly.
The twin pillars holding up this excellent work are Daniel Riley and Rachael Maza. Their directorial collaboration has resulted in a thoughtful, coherent, intelligent and emotionally truthful narrative, told through choreography, text, music and setting. All the little bits fit together. And that’s just what good directors do.
Reviewed by Pat H. Wilson
Photo credit: Pedro Greig
Venue: Odeon Theatre, Norwood
Season: 10th – 18th March, 2023
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes (no interval)
Tickets: Price: $49:00 (conc. $40:00)
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/tracker/
