Make sure to check out our guide to the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2015
I was ready for some ‘Phunktional Dance’ and had been looking forward to the show since Fringe began. I wasn’t disappointed. The multi-talented Demi Sorono worked us through her journey from a young Filipino immigrant that couldn’t speak English to a star on ‘So You Think You Can Dance?‘ and everything in between.
Demi’s is a great Australian story. She moved to the surrounds of Blackburn at five years old with no English apart from please, thank you, yes and toilet. After a two week intensive course, she was thrown into primary school life and forced to fend for herself. The next couple of decades saw run-ins with the law, troubled relationships and the abandonment of family members.
Her love of dance though endured and seemed to pull here through. It began as a young-ling. With little entertainment on offer her and her family had to find ways of entertaining themselves. Dancing for her mum was Demi’s way of expressing herself and it blossomed from there. Her style is hip-hop funk and she can crunk like no one else. A significant part of the show sees her battle her shadow, an inner voice of sorts that tries to keep her down. I suspect a lot of people in the audience can relate to this voice. Demi though seems to have won that battle.
If you want a night of hot beats, hotter dance moves and a shadow warrior battle make sure to check of A Touch of Grace: Shadow Warrior.
– Rukmal
Rukmal (Ruki) is The Plus Ones’ Managing Director. He looks after the marketing, technology, and finance areas of TPO and loves nothing more than analysing data and optimising campaigns. Okay, perhaps building a global digital media company is a touch more interesting. While he rarely writes articles these days, preferring to leave it to our incredible staff writers, he can occasionally tap his right brain.
See times and dates for A Touch of Grace: Shadow Warrior here.
The venue is accessible.
Disclosure: The Plus Ones were invited guests of Phunktional Dance.
