Feast Your Eyes (and Ears) On This…

“A gorgeous feast of sound and movement” – that is how Australia’s own nightingale, Katie Noonan, describes Triptych, the Sydney Dance Company’s latest program, which she is currently performing in and which premiered in Sydney on Tuesday September 25.

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“Triptych is my baby”, says Noonan, who is a four-time ARIA award winning and seven-time platinum selling singer-songwriter, formerly of the acclaimed indie-pop band George. When she first heard Les Illumations by 1930s classical composer Benjamin Britten, Noonan imagined it as a dance piece. The Sydney Dance Company have brought her vision to life.

Noonan feels the passion of Britten’s music very deeply and sings her part, a vocalisation of French poems, with such intensity and understanding. “Basically Triptych is a love story. It is deeply romantic. When I’m singing, I’m thinking about the love Britten had for his partner. It is so clearly expressed in the music. And now that is reflected in dance too.”

The haunting and yet delightful music is played with finesse by the string ensemble of the Australian Chamber Ochestra, who share the stage with Noonan and the dancers.

The music is set to dance by Sydney Dance Company’s multi-time Helpmann award winning Artistic Director, Rafael Bonachela. The contemporary style choreography is spell-binding. The first two parts of the triptych, which means a set of three associated artistic works, are danced by pairs and couplings, intimately portraying the story behind Britten’s music, which is one of affection, desire and betrayal. As the music moves between moods of sentimentality and playfulness, joy and pain, the dancers’ bodies melt and mould and merge, creating incredible shapes with ease and fluidity. The dancers capture the contrast in the music in their bodies, which are at once forceful and delicate. In the third part, the choreography expands from duets to the ensemble, with the full company of dancers performing onstage in different variations, sometimes all at once, building an impressive theatrical spectacle.

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The stage is bare, the lights are low, and the costumes are minimal, channeling the focus on the artistic talent on display. Every rippling muscle is visible. Legs and arms seem to grow out of nowhere. The sheer youth and beauty and power of these dancers, who are both elite athletes and inspired artists, is a sight to behold. It is a veritable feast for the eyes and ears, leaving one with a slightly drunken feeling, as if waking from a dream.

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Triptych is playing at the Roslyn Packer Theatre at Walsh Bay (formerly Sydney Theatre) from September 25 until October 10. Two of the works will then be performed in Melbourne on October 25, as part of a new triple bill, Illuminated, which will also tour to Hong Kong. Triptych will next be performed in Germany in November.

Under 30’s tickets are $30, Tuesday to Thursday nights.

– Alicia Tripp
Alicia is a seasoned arts and music journalist, as a former critic for the ABC Limelight magazine and State of the Arts. She has a degree in Media & Communications, English and Music from the University of Sydney.

 

Disclaimer: The Plus Ones were invited guests of The Sydney Dance Company.