Reflections 2006
Almost two years ago we were at the Griffith Regional Theatre teching through Spirit after completing what seemed like a tough major-cities season of Clan. Looking at the cramped wing space and the unforgiving sightlines, one of us jokingly pondered “what if we had to do Clan here?” For those who didn’t get to see it in 2004, the first half of Clan involved heaps of technical trickeries, props, quick changes and lots of quick exits-and-entrances, all for the purposes of reflecting on the man David Unaipon. Difficult for everyone involved.
I guess we asked for it.
And it’s more difficult this time ‘round, for the second half of Clan 2004 has been replaced by Rations, which is its own logistics nightmare for a travelling regional tour. Besides the dancers finding themselves at certain times in the show dancing with tin cans on their heads, throwing large flour bags across the stage, being wrapped up and rolling about in blankets, and flipping over and under a ‘fence', there’s also a large ten-metre ring that has to fly in and out throughout the dance. FR really likes her props.
What if? It was an important question back then. At the time I was having all sorts of anxieties with dance and, even just doing the relatively cruisy Spirit, going onstage came with a feeling of unease and dread. My nerves couldn’t cope with Clan again.
Two years and many frequent flyer points later we’ve finished our one show of Clan in Griffith and, well, everything went alright. It’s a shame that the only thing I exert in the first half is my voice box and that I’m only partly involved in the second half (thanks to the injury). But even if I’d been fit enough, the idea of doing this show doesn’t seem as crazy as it was back then. That Spirit regional tour was a seven-week marathon with its own demands and pressures but I think it allowed us to consolidate all that we gained as performers in Clan 2004. And having just completed the Gathering program with the Australian Ballet, it seems that just about everyone in the company has taken steps up. There seems to be more of a sense of ease and familiarity of this thing dance. The difficulty is there but there’s less anxiety about the whole thing.
I can’t wait for Canberra, where I get to flex my newly repaired calf muscle. My roles have changed since the injuries but there’s promise of getting more stage time.
And back to that original question, “what if?” Well the exits and entrances weren’t as slick as they have been, and there are some elements missing (such as the fantastic light boxes that fly in and out at the start of Motion) but all in all it’s there. And I guess it worked because there was quite a lot of applause at the end.
