Re:membering | UMWELTCollective

This was a soft, beautiful exploration of the relationship between the two sister-dancers Lowana and Merinda Davies of UMWELT Collective. The room, softened by a veritable forest of pine needles; crunchy, soft, dry and faintly scented. A circle in the centre of the room, a small space. A safe place.

I enjoyed the pure simplicity of it all. A single lamp. The scenes, each that takes just as long as it takes. The original movements, not marked by stylistic commonalities, but carving out the story. At times the movements were gentle, rhythmic, other times taught with fury and the weight of holding up another. The tension was real, nothing faked here.

The piano, the undulating tones of the original music, heaving and whispering the truth of the relationship. Absolutely beautiful melodies composed by Tom Lyons in conjunction with the dancers as they developed the work. Simple. Authentic. Heartfelt.

This is deeply personal work. This is about these two sisters; not all sisters, but these ones in particular. The tides of the relationship are marked out, sometimes it is abundantly clear to us the vicissitudes, other-times we are left to wonder.

A hint of rivalry, a whisper of domestic violence witnessed, the challenges of being oneself and yet one of two. A family history unfolds before us, whether we know it or not, there is a lot being said, long conversations, decades of time, passes before us. There is a history being told here that extends back beyond the time these young women were alive.

I am very struck by contemporary dance at the moment, and this beautiful creation is a perfect example why. There is no apology for holding space, no permission to explore sought, just a truth that they wished to uncover.I don't know if this is the start of a larger work, or if this will become something 'more'. I liked it just as it is. I liked being one a few fortunate enough to be seeing it. I loved the reverent feel of the room. I loved the time it take to perform. Just beautiful.