Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Sunday, July 20
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • CUE
      • Cue Archives
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»ARTS & LIFE»Ashes to ashes
    ARTS & LIFE

    Ashes to ashes

    Creating worlds out of the microscopic
    Rod AmnerBy Rod AmnerJuly 1, 2022Updated:July 1, 2022No Comments2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    DANCE: Dust
    Review by DANA OSBORN

    Dust is an intriguing medium. Its movement is governed by nothing and no one. Millions of individual particles drift in all directions, falling, swirling, and colliding with one another. It holds endless potential for the spontaneous, the erratic, and the unpredictable. Its incorporation into dance allows it to act as a medium of interaction, mimicry, and inspiration. Did the experimental contemporary dance piece Dust capitalise on the opportunities this spirited medium brings?

    In the beginning, the choreography is beautiful. Four dancers are on stage, moving simultaneously yet incongruously, reminiscent of Merce Cunningham’s Chance Dance which utilises randomness, resulting in abrupt changes in the pace and mood of the movement. At times, each dancer seems to be improvising their own world, unaware of the movements nearby, linked only by the spatial tension between them. 

    Holding immense aesthetic potential, the dust transmutes into otherwordly formations as it falls and is crafted into shapes by the dancers who delicately play with its ephemeral nature. The dust communicates with the light: obscuring, reflecting, and scattering to create celestial light beams. When a significant amount of dust has settled, dancers begin drawing lines, rolling in circular motions leaving traces of their movements behind them. In these moments, the essence and personality of dust shine through.

    But about halfway in, Dust loses its touch. Each dancer comes to embody a season, communicated only by a flower, a sun, a leaf, and a snowflake drawn in the dust where they stand. The choreography is undermined by the distracting and unnecessary projections on the back curtain. The dust becomes sidelined in favour of a much less intriguing centrepiece. At times the pace of the choreography is also at odds with the intensity of the music, making the movement seem anticlimactic. 

    Despite this, the skill and technique of the dancers cannot be faulted. Their performances are emotional and technically impressive, and the choreography is beautifully constructed overall. Dust is a visually exciting piece that, while exhibiting some incredibly talented dancers, builds entire worlds out of the microscopic, showing that less really is more. 

    Previous ArticleAbsent fathers
    Next Article Functional art from earth and fire
    Rod Amner
    • Website

    Comments are closed.

    Code of Ethics and Conduct
    GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
    RMR
    Listen to RMR


    Humans of Makhanda

    Humans of Makhanda

    Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

    © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.