Springtime in Melbourne can be an unpredictable affair. In the Malthouse foyer woolen scarves and red wine console ubiquitous festival punters against a snap return to weather reminiscent of a Melbourne winter. Seated inside the Beckett theatre, the house lights are exhausted by the measured twisting of a dial. On-stage, there appears dancer Hiroaki Umeda. The man's stout appearance is immediately overthrown by a computer generated projection of a blistering, white grid. This geometric classification of the human form consumes the stage area and is accompanied by a familiar sound design. Accentuated by rich production values and trembling portent, this audio-visual landscape overwhelms some in the audience. Several minor gasps and self-assuring vocal affirmations appear to confirm that this might be the show that will satisfy all festival expectations. But dance is a kinetic language capable of communicating a depth of resonance that is not dependent upon a six figure budget. Adapting for Distortion alludes toward the processing effect technology can have upon human beings. It is now expected that Umeda and his collaborators will examine this proposition. The interface between body and machine is a residual occurrence for most; just ask any IT worker, or, any domestic cleaner. How then will Hiroaki Umeda and his S20 company reinterpret in a fresh and exciting manner the overblown and now jaundiced relationship between viscera, vascularity, and the data-stream ?
Restrained by an overhead projector, Umeda's dance isolates specific parts of the body for the purpose of creating an illusion of movement. His feet move at a frenetic pace, while his outstretched arms ripple in accordance with variations in the audio-visual design. The rhythms are abrupt and disjunctive, and appear to reflect the title of the show. Most peculiar, is that apart from a vague reference to the dehumanising effect of technology, it quickly becomes clear that Adapting for Distortion has nothing further to express. The performance ends as it began. Umeda's body gyrates in relation to an impressive audio-visual landscape, then he exits. Never before have I encountered a performance that leaves such a minor impression. During interval, I consult with other members of the audience. In a lackluster tone, a man states he believes in the show "...110 %". Although unconvinced, it is possible that Adapting for Distortion has been an aberration. Perhaps, S20's second show Haptic might counter this paucity of meaning..?
All expectations are extinguished soon after the show begins. The one variation between the two performances is that Haptic, rather than being comprised of a computerised projection, is constructed from light. Melancholy blues, irradiated and angry reds. Azure backdrops suggesting a forlorn seaside, succinct strips of pinstriped side-light resembling that discharged from a barcode scanner. Common to both performances is Umeda's chosen form of physical expression: that same variation on rap-dancing that isolates specific parts of the body for the purpose of creating an illusion of movement. Otherwise, Umeda rarely moves in either a vertical or horizontal direction. Physically impressive, 'Popping' has nothing to say beyond its own gestural range. Also, it bears no relation to the three other mediums S20 use to construct each performance. Apart from Umeda's intimation that he is a robot, the seductive audio-visual landscape comprised of light, sound, and computerised projection, fails to reflect, or even counterpoint, Umeda's gestures. The word 'Haptic' is a specialised term used to explain tactility, and the manipulation of objects within a virtual environment. Using the term as the title for a show that in no way relates to its meaning, leaves Haptic vulnerable to an accusation of pretension. Never before have I encountered a show that looked so great, but meant so little. Perplexed, I enquire of an enthusiastic woman sitting alongside what she thought the performance might mean. Her response is that Adapting for Distortion and Haptic do not have linear narratives. I refrain from explaining that meaning is not dependent on narrative; linear, non-linear, emblematic or kinetic. Instead, I simply agree with the woman when she rattles her head, smiles and says 'That was cool".
Adapting for Distortion & Haptic
Choreographer-dancer: Hiroaki Umeda
Sound: S20
Images: Bernard Baudry (Distortion)
Light: S20 & Herve' Villechenoux (Haptic)
October 14-17, Malthouse Theatre,
Melbourne International Arts Festival
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