La Mama Courthouse, March 27 until April 14, 2013
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Star rating: *** ½
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on March 27
Review also published in Herald Sun online on Thurs March 28. KH
"A clever parody of modern dance."
If you recognize the
flick, slash and punch of contemporary dance, you’ll giggle and applaud Nicky
Marr’s Little Dances, a witty, clownish parody of modern choreography and its
indulgent justification of pointless content.
Marr is warm and engaging
as she self-narrates her life in dance, using physical, visual and verbal
comedy with dance technique.
In an empty space, she
begins as her five-year old self – “The best dancer in the world” – then, in a
cunning feat of dancer-meets-clown, she twirls her way out of a dozen
petticoats until she is left in a black slip.
Her depiction of the
pretentious language of contemporary dancers validating their meaningless, repetitive
wriggling is hilarious, particularly if you’ve seen any minimalist dance or
performance art in which nothing much happens.
It is inspiring to witness
Marr transform her “little dances” of everyday moments – waiting for a tram,
slipping over – into simple, compelling, contemporary choreography.
Her portrayal of a
creative dance class is a hoot, with its earnest teacher side-coaching students
to become a flock of birds or a flange of baboons.
Marr cunningly
deconstructs Kung Fu moves, ridicules nightclub dance music, then illuminates
the complex relationship women have with high heels: the elegance and
imbalance, the pain and seduction.
If you’ve ever swanned
around in a tutu or performed a Merce Cunningham contraction, Marr’s Little
Dances is for you.
By Kate Herbert
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