2001: A Dance Odyssey at Sky City Theatre

By BERNADETTE RAE

SKY CITY THEATRE, Auckland - They hop a bit and skip a bit and at times the flavour of their work as dance educators shows through. Footnote Dance in Education programmes form the backbone of this company's activities and it is vital and valuable work - but hardly avant garde.

However, once choreographer Raewyn Hill takes the stage with her Trio N

2 things are looking up, and loftily.

Footnote's two male dancers, Tim Fletcher and Matthew Plummer, really stretch out and make a considerable impact when they have something interesting to do. The third dancer is Sharon Toso, who handles a busy night just beautifully.

Dressed in dramatically split black trousers and matching knee pads the trio moves slowly around the stage, framing three gorgeous solo pieces in turn.

The music by Nick McGowan is a work of substance, passion and beauty and the dancers step up to its meaning in every way.

Sally Stopforth's Bach in 6 by 5 presents two hugely diverse interpretations of Bach's Concerto No 3 in G, the first a lyrical and lovely little dance poem, the second a highly imaginative character piece, performed with verve and humour by the whole company and five blue chairs.

Be-longing is a study by Catherine Chappell of the evolution of a relationship. It throbs along with Philip Colson's deepest-of-deep accompaniment, in an agony of not touching.

The pain of all those low notes, both physical and psychic, builds huge tension but then lingers a tad too long. And it does seem a pretty dire and joyless union.

Merenia Gray blends classical and contemporary techniques and threads of both her Ngai Tahu and European descent in WhiriKoka - Whiri Tangata - Uniting Mankind, which closes this "odyssey" of music and movement and choreographic exploration.

She creates some lovely images and the work is imbued with spirit - with wairoa. But again a little editing could enhance its aesthetic and clarity.

Footnote Dance is a strange phenomenon with a flavour all its own, vaguely reminiscent of bubblegum. But on this occasion it is far more than that. Given the right opportunity the company can be quite sophisticated - sexy, even!