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Photo by Leoni Combrink

The Hagley Dance Company’s Graduation Show Review

Emily Napolitano —

Dance is a beautiful way to communicate the deeper human condition without using words.

In this age of chaotic governments and impending end times, there is a growing awareness of caring for our wellbeing. We each have different ways of doing this - mine is to watch young dancers hone their craft. 

The sheer joy of moving a young, strong body comes across in Chroma, The Hagley Dance Company’s Graduation Show. There is a raw energy, a fresh vitality and a humbling integrity that is expressed by the young dancers; watching them one gets the impression of a fleeting moment in time caught before age and experience hew off the vulnerable edges.

The title of the show evokes the idea of a range of colour, and indeed the show centres on a mix of colours and the emotions they portray. The evening opens in the soulless black of outer space, works its way through the light happiness of butter yellow, puts down roots in the earthy brown of dirt, slides through the liquidity of blue and green and ends boldly in red, the sanguine colour of blood and hope.

Particularly interesting is the juxtaposition of the live dances with filmed dance solos. In these solos the dancers have a chance to showcase their personal styles and strengths as they explore concepts relevant to them, while in the live dances they demonstrate their ability to work together as a group and integrate the choreographer’s movements onto themselves.

In this era of instantaneous gratification, it is refreshing to see a group of young people willing to spend a year of their lives learning to communicate through the physicality of moving their bodies. Dance is not easy, and while a dancer uses their body they are also required to let go in order to grow. This company have clearly made this journey together, and in doing so have given me hope for the future for another year.