The world premiere of a new work by a contemporary Japanese youth dance troupe making their Adelaide debut.
Reviewed at the Space Theatre on 21 February 2019
Presented by The Japan Foundation, Sydney
Twilight Suddenly is the name of this world premiere by contemporary Japanese dance troupe TOKYO ELECTROCK STAIRS, a name inexplicably written in all-capitals almost everywhere it’s named.
Premiering in Toyko in 2008, the troupe endeavours to present modern choreography to a combination of dance and original music by award-winning troupe leader, Kentaro. The two free performances for the Adelaide Fringe were a showcase of routines featuring Kentaro himself, with several other young performers.
While energetic and light-hearted, the English narration was difficult to understanding from a combination of accent and poor quality sound. From this, the storytelling was often lost but was, presumably, a tale of lost love, grief and memory.
Kentaro’s choreography was refreshing and complex but not varied enough to sustain the hour-long performance, particularly with the lack of any theme coming through. He and his dancers were in fine form however, excecuting the precision movements with flair. There was comedy to be found in both the dance and the dialogue but, again, the difficulties in following the spoken word components meant some of the humour failed to hit home.
It’s wonderful to see new young talent succeeding on our shores, particularly those like this dance troupe who excel at their art. With luck, they’ll return with a better show and improved diction next time.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Venue: Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: Season ended
Duration: 1 hour
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