Triple treat linked by Bolero

In Perth yesterday, at the Fremantle Arts Centre, guest artists joined resident dance company Link to perform Frenchman Didier Theron’s triptych, Shanghai Bolero.
The three pieces have different choreographies but are all performed to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero, which had its premiere in 1928. In the first, 11 women march relentlessly across the stage, stony-faced, dressed in black shorts and high heels.
In the second, three grim, bare-chested men jump and gyrate in relentless interaction. In the third, 14 dancers create fabulous tableaus that seem to bring paintings like Picasso’s Guernica to mind. Direction, movement and gesture change abruptly.
Clockwork precision is demanded, with the slightest lapse in concentration leading to anarchy. Full of dramatic tension, Shanghai Bolero fits the anguished Bolero like a cloak. It was a superb performance. Also on the program and in vivid contrast, 59009 Tonight, celebrating ballroom dancing and set to the honeyed crooning of Michael Buble, radiated joy.
The eight dancers were again impressive and gave Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers a run for their money. The show runs until tomorrow.

Rita Clarke