Wayfinder – Adelaide Festival 2024 Review

Space Theatre, Sun 17 Mar, 2024. As we enter the Space Theatre we see a statue figure sitting at the back of the stage holding a white orb like some Eastern godlike figure. Only the very slightest of movement reveals this figure to be human. Similar white orbs are placed on various seats throughout the auditorium. What does this mean? Are these seats to be left vacant? No the show is sold out, so some people choose to hold them on their laps while others pass them on. Woven strands of brightly covered wool cover the stage, and a youthful ensemble of eight dancers burst onto the stage and are on the move constantly. Sometimes weaving around each other or rolling on the floor, and at other times bouncing fluidly up from a sprung dance floor as a trampolining gymnast might. Whatever their actions they are always visually arresting and mesmerising. The vibrant hues of the costumes add to the sense of joy that seems to infuse this show. The dancers are clearly having fun today and on occasion they smile spontaneously at each other as they twirl past. At one point a dancer reaches out a hand to an audience member and they touch. A breakdown of the wall between stage and audience seems to be happening. Are we being invited to be wayfinders too and join the celebrations and discoveries? Midway through the show the orbs begin to glow – not all at once but in a random succession. After a while the orbs emit sounds. The effect is primal, communal and gorgeous. Three children sitting in front of me have somehow each scored an orb, and each time these balls of light glow the children’s faces light up with pure delight. An unexpected but wonderful moment. Dance North’s Wayfinder is a contemporary dance performance that celebrates life. Kyle Page and Amber Haines are the directors but it is also a collaboration between many creatives and dancers. Essentially it plays with patterns and looks at how things connect, disconnect, then merge again in new ways. The brightly coloured strands of wool. apparently woven by 150 volunteers, are at times thrown up into the air with gay abandon or used as rope to weave through the audience. An organic-looking woven sculpture by Hiromi Tango becomes a pivotal point at one stage, reinforcing the motif that life and energy are to be found everywhere if we give ourselves the space and time to find it. Wayfinder is a multi-arts project. The lines between music, sculpture, sound , lights and movement all blend and merge. Music by Melbourne band Hiatus Kaiyote spans many genres over the course of the performance, helping to delineate the various dance pieces. Visually this is a performance which delivers in so many ways and the extraordinary dancing, choreography and the sheer verve is a delight to behold. 4.5 stars Cathy Tune   #TheClotheslineMag