4 June 2025. Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Bangarra’s latest production is nothing short of a visual feast with its lighting design from Damien Cooper standing out in an exceptional way. In particular, the starry opening scene, which extended from the stage up and out to the ceiling and walls of the Joan Sutherland Theatre, and the closing scenes where the colour scheme became more varied, stood out.
What also stood out was that Illume seemed more abstract than most of Bangarra’s previous productions. Although Frances Rings, in her onstage welcome speech before the curtain went up, gave us some clues as to content, it was not always easy to situate the work within a storyline. While a storyline is not necessarily needed, the production was advertised as referring to aspects of the history and nature of a particular First Nations group from the Dampier Peninsula in Western Australia, which I mentioned in my Dance Diary post for May. (In which I also mention the role of Darrell Sibosado as artistic and cultural collaborator).
In addition to the opening speech from Rings, reading through the program for Illume some visual aspects of the production made more sense in that writing than was clear simply from their onstage appearance. The red glove that unexpectedly appeared on some dancers’ arms at various time referred, I assumed, to the ‘deep red of the pindan soil’ of the area, as did other red elements that appeared on and off, including as part of the lighting design. Perhaps? And similarly, the structures that made up the basis of Charles Davis’ set perhaps referred to the manawan trees with their blackened trunks, mentioned by Rings and in the program.
As part of the lighting design, and appearing in unexpected places, there were also words arranged in geometric-styles, which I didn’t quite understand. Were they some kind of totemic aspect of the culture perhaps? It would have been advantageous if cultural aspects that were part of the concept behind the show were easier to identify from the production itself rather than largely from the spoken or written word. Or not at all.
Choreographically, Rings as usual used groupings of dancers to particular effect and the dancers, many of whom are relative newcomers to the company, performed with extraordinary skill.
Another highlight was the way in which the work was a multi-media production in which choreography and design worked smoothly together (even if I didn’t always understand what concepts were being presented).
Costumes from Elizabeth Gadsby were varied, sometimes plain in design and colour, sometimes more intricate, but always arresting. Music was composed by Brendon Boney.
There are many other aspects of Illume that I haven’t mentioned but which also caused queries to keep surfacing. Those red boxes that the dancers manipulated at one stage. And other things … I would have loved to have left the theatre with a clearer idea of what was happening. But what a thrill it always is to see dancers performing with the skill and commitment of those who make up Bangarra Dance Theatre.
Michelle Potter, 5 June 2025
Featured image: A moment from Illume showing a little of the starry element of Damien Cooper’s lighting design. Bangarra Dance Theatre, 2025. Photo: © Daniel Boud
As a postscript I have to say that Daniel Boud’s images are spectacular given the speed and changing nature of the choreography and the variety of multi-media inclusions.
