Excavate: An Expressive And Earthy Dance Piece – Adelaide Fringe Review

The Edments Building, Wed Mar 4 Set among the Adelaide city building-tops and our beautiful cityscape, we are literally led up the garden path barefoot along a trail of mulch to observe and be part of this performance. As the sun sets over the city and you stand there taking in the beautiful scenery, you are also met with a man sprawled across another pile of mulch. What is advertised and what actually ensues is, interesting, to say the least. Gareth Hart arises from the pile of dirt to deliver a performance that is somewhat perplexing. While his aim of this piece is to scour through the past, both historically and personally, and look to how it shapes the future what eventuates is a performance that appears to be a series of robotic chicken moves. There is no ebb and flow or highs and lows, but rather a constant stream of repetitive movements that, personally, do not appear to amount to much. There are times when a glimpse of Hart’s message is conveyed however these are few and far between. What was somewhat of a saving grace was Edward Willoughby’s musical dialogue to the piece. While it did sound like a soundtrack to an art-house movie it provided a much needed added element to the performance. For those that required more of an explanation, notes from the choreographer (Hart) were handed out at the end of the 35 minute show while the audience members put their shoes back on. If you have a spare 35 minutes in your evening, a handful of cash and an open mind, this is the show for you. Sarah Mena Excavate continues at The Edments Building until Sat Mar 7. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. Image courtesy of Sarah Walker.