Herald Sun 24 Nov 2004

HERALD SUN
Tuesday November 23, 2004
Stephanie Glickman

THERE is a lot more to men dancing than a single stereotype and Chunky Move’s I Want to Dance Better at Parties delves deep into five real men’s experiences and reflects on what makes them dance.

In each case, it’s a different need – from the widower coming out of grieving and wanting to dance at parties to the Greek man who says dance is an exhibition of his masculinity and pride.

Choreographer Gideon Obarzanek and collaborators treat the honest and emotionally charged stories with sensitivity and succeed in expressing their complexity.

The narratives are introduced by the actual men on video screens and interpreted by the Chunky dancers(at first literally, then, as stories overlap, more abstractly). This straightforward opening gives audiences a direct entry point to the work.

Clogging, Israeli folk, ballroom… the dancers perform all the styles the men discuss. There is even the non-dancer, the wallflower hiding behind his cigarette and ambivalent stare.

As the work progresses and the choreography becomes more involved, with the dancers, arms outstretched, bodies inflating and deflating, sequences of deep breathing and a ferocious duet by Kristy Ayre and Jo Lloyd, there’s a context and meaning for the movement, in light of the stories being told.

This is a well-structured and well-researched piece that truly brings out the multi-dimensionality and variety of the men’s stories. Definitely one of Chunky Move’s best, for its connection to the public, its audiences and closet dancers everywhere.