247 Days – Chunky Move

Overview

How do we view the world? How does the world view us? Do we behave as expected, or as we really are? If we were to catch ourselves in a truly unguarded moment, what would we see?

While these are more profound questions than I generally like to ask myself on a Friday night, such notions of inner conflict and self-awareness are the themes of Chunky Move’s latest contemporary dance piece, 247 Days. I guess there's always next Friday night for an uplifting salsa class?

Part of Melbourne’s Dance Massive program, 247 Days is a complex and conceptual piece, exploring notions of inner conflict, self-discovery and reflection in an incredibly emotive work conceived by artistic director, Anouk van Dijk.

A moving set of mirrors by Michael Hankin combined with lighting by Niklas Pajanti creates a backdrop of kaleidoscopic reflections and looming shadows, adding both aesthetic and symbolic value. Along with Marcel Wierckx’s clever and beautifully composed sound design, these supporting elements drive the piece, as much as the dancers themselves.

Leif Helland, Lauren Langlois, Alya Manzart, James Pham, Niharika Senapti and Tara Soh are undeniably masters of their genre, showcasing commanding solo moments alongside the ability to almost melt into one another as an ensemble. Their energy moves through the audience in electric waves, with more than one audible “holy shit” having escaped from my own mouth mid-performance.

While undeniably enhanced by the music, set and lighting, what makes this piece so profoundly affective are the unguarded, unrelenting bodies of the performers. At times manic and always dynamic, moments of high tension are tempered by stillness, providing balance and finding a place of equilibrium.  There’s something very powerful about watching a person give everything they have and the matted, sweaty hair and glistening forms visible at the end of the performance are testament to this.

As a bright-eyed and bushy tailed 20-something just trying to make it in this crazy, messed up world, perhaps I relate so easily to this emotional rollercoaster because the ideas and themes are specifically relevant. But I think it is more a human similarity, a universally relatable sense of inadequacy and self-consciousness that basically gets inside your gut and twists hard.

Whatever is bubbling down inside you will surely be extracted during 247 Days.

Image by Jeff Busby.