Innovative choreographer Liesel Zink has brought us another absorbing, thought-provoking work set in the open. Her earlier epic work The Stance was performed in 2015 over nine hours in King Georg Square – a tribute to the spirit of resistance and protest. Her current work Inter is performed in 45 minutes at Flowstate, South Bank, but ranges over aeons since the dawn of time.
Three dancers move rhythmically to the cycles of the cosmos reflecting the connectivity in science and humanity. Zink’s program notes explain it in these terms:
Inter reflects on the importance and fragility of connectedness; between people, in ecosystems, moments in time and space.
Dancers Amelia Stokes, Michael Smith and Lauren Carr take us on an exploration of time, space and self. There is something elemental about this work which connects with each audience member.
Zink’s collaboration with poet J M Donellan has borne fruit. The disciplines of dance and words are uneasy companions but this production reminds us that it is quintessentially human to move and to speak. Art forms are vehicles for expression, not silos.
Inter is an ambitious work. It seeks that which unifies us. It was performed between 21 and 26 August at the very time the Parliament of Australia saw convulsions resulting in a new prime minister. Thus the program notes (no doubt written many weeks before) are rich in irony:
In a political climate where things appear to be more divided, Inter seeks to highlight the importance and power of working as one.
This creative, original work reminds us we are indeed stardust and that our own diurnal round is a part of a common humanity and a common universe.
Writer: J. M. Donellan
Dancers:: Lauren Carr, Amelia Stokes, Michael Smith
Lighting designer Jason Glenwright
Sound designer: Mike Willmett
Voice actress: Erica Field
Dramaturge: Martyn Coutts
Costume designer: Alana Sargent
Technical team: Maddie Nixon, Ryan Mahony, Tim Gawne and Emma Healey.