Pulling strings to make a rock-solid point in Ballet at the Quarry

Manipulation is the common thread that links works by Eric Gauthier, Christopher Hill and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Matthew Lehmann, centre, and the West Australian Ballet takes on Eric Gauthier’s Takuto, part of Ballet at the Quarry. Picture: Sergey Pevnev

Choreographers from Germany, Belgium and Australia are featured in Ballet at the Quarry this year. All have a common thread: manipulation. Although created before the American election, all seem to reflect the present situation of world affairs, with a master manipulator now at the helm.

In Eric Gauthier’s Ballet 101, for instance, a loud voice shouts numbers to Andre Santos ordering him through his sacrosanct ballet paces. You can’t help but be reminded of a newly appointed president barking instructions at world leaders. Gautier obviously is not only prescient but has an iconoclastic streak, for Ballet 101’s ironic ending heralds the fate of dancers at the end of their career. It’s a technically demanding eight-minute solo in which Santos displays dazzling virtuosity aligned with his usual cheeky disposition.

Gauthier’s second piece, Takuto, also made audience members smile because, again, the dancers were stunned into submission by theirdemanding manipulator Matthew Lehmann. He made them yell, beat on drums and tear around in thrall to the hypnotic rhythm.

In what seemed an inspired mix of Japanese drum beating ritual and African voodoo, the choreographic layout was intricate and engaging. The visual impact of the dancers, wearing black wide-legged pants and silhouetted against the huge white vertically suspended drums, was sheer delight.

Gauthier gives the impression he sees the funny side of human behaviour and is sharing it with us. Silhouettes also featured in Christopher Hill’s The Clearest Light, for which he also made the score. Again there was a manipulative element as dancers (one in a fencing helmet) were drawn on stage by another backing away with outstretched arm and the fixed stare of a sword-fencer. Physical prowess and beauty stamps Hill’s unmistakable and irresistible choreography. It is hallmarked, however, with a distinctive modern approach.

Belgian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s In Transit takes place in a transit lounge in which benches are upended to form partitions. It’s a fast-paced and visually stimulating series of sections where people are hustled and treated with indifference while mutely accepting their impotence.

Another powerful manipulator (Liam Green) pulled the strings with grim-faced coercion.

Ochoa’s choreography is transfixing and tension-filled. The dancers were on top form and framed beautifully by scintillating lighting design.

Takuto: Ballet at the Quarry. The West Australian Ballet, The Quarry, Perth. February 3. Tickets: $59-$79. Bookings: 136 100 or online. Duration: 2hrs including interval. Until February 25.