Review by David Reyes
All Walls Down in All In
Dance Makers Collective
Belco Arts Theatre
Dance Makers Collective’s dance production All In is billed as an exciting and vulnerable theatre experience for, suitably, all to step into and be stirred by. It is a burst of energy and a pop of colour to start off our Canberra spring, presented by Canberra Theatre Centre at Belco Arts Theatre in Belconnen.
An ‘immersive’ piece of traditional theatre simply doesn’t compare to an immersive piece of dance theatre. Dance theatre, as opposed to traditional theatre, has a tactile element to it: from the audience, one can feel the tap of heels on the traverse stage or the march of dancers downstage ripple through one’s body. This ripple effect is confidently carried by All In, as the production rouses the inner dancer within audience members to life.
The performance jumps between various instances of dance, shared by four different dance companies. From entire routines to interpretive dance wherein dancers, like spectres, walk in and out of spotlights under the narration of their own voices, each routine speaks to the power of dance in unity and inspiration. The most notable part of the performance is the last ten minutes, which prompts seat-fillers to stand and join the dancers on stage. Suddenly a loud and densely crowded stage ends up being an honest and true celebration of dance, turning what would be a boisterous and wild finale into a vulnerable and freeing conclusion. Accompanied by directive text projected on the wall, audience-members-turned-dancers are tasked to ‘[dance with] fast feet’, ‘get low’, and ‘dance how you are feeling right now’. The instructions and the darkness of the crowded stage allows most, if not all, audience members to feel comfortable and safe — going to show that All In truly commits itself to pushing unity and community to the forefront of Canberra theatre.
Director and choreographer Miranda Wheen puts her command of space and movement on display, along with her seasoned expertise in intercultural blending in the dance world. All In brings together a diverse set of Canberra-based dance companies: Apsaras Arts Canberra, a traditional Indian dance school; Quantum Leap, a contemporary youth dance company; and Project Dust, a contemporary First Nations dance group. Dance Makers Collective’s All In is, undoubtedly, alive with unique creative Canberran voices.
For those looking for a more intellectual, some would say ‘traditional’ night at the theatre, a Dance Makers Collective production like All In may not be for you; however, what Dance Makers Collective does offer theatregoers is an immersive, bodily and wholesomely vulnerable experience that will leave one shuffling their shoulders on the journey home.
