Manifesto – Stephanie Lake Company | Adelaide Festival 2022 review
A stunning demonstration of the visceral relationship between rhythm and dance – especially when set to the driving power of drums.
Adelaide Festival
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Manifesto – Stephanie Lake Company
Dance – Australia
Dunstan Playhouse
Until March 20
Choreographer Stephanie Lake is no stranger to the power of rhythm, which has been integral to most, if not all, of the works that have made her one of Australia’s most sought-after creatives in recent years.
Her latest work, Manifesto, premiering at Adelaide Festival, is a stunning demonstration of the visceral relationship between rhythm and dance, especially when the rhythm is set by the driving power of drums.
Drums and dance. They go together. They speak of celebration, expression and emotion.
Visually, Manifesto is unforgettable, a sculpted array of nine drum-kits on raised stands, like a percussion-filled big band from a grand 1930s nightclub, complete with dancefloor.
Nine dancers in white jackets are seated before them in silence, awaiting the start of the show.
A sudden, percussive explosion had more than a few audience members leaping out of their seats. Each of the drummers is spot-lit in turn, the dancers twisting and turning then freezing in place with every juddering crash.
There may be no pitch, but don’t be fooled, this is music, and a very sophisticated score it is from Robin Fox. The alignment of the movement with the music is phenomenal, whether on or off the beat.
Even in the free sections, there is a near-mystical connection between dancer and drummer that links it all together.
Manifesto is an almost continuous hour of surging, ebbing bodies and driving rhythm to an enduring four-square tattoo.
The occasional lull, as when a single dancer “conducts” the band, only heightens the tension as we await the inevitable return of the full, clamorous ensemble.
Only at the end does order break down, rhythm abandoned, chaos reigning – with even a streaker, one of the many funny touches that pepper the piece – until the piece grinds to a booming halt, all the better to propel the audience to its feet for a whooping, screaming ovation.
Manifesto has “festival” written all over it. It’s a smash.
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