Review: ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL 2016: IN THE BALANCE Celebrates Party Life

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Thursday 23rd June, 2016

Restless Dance Theatre restaged In the Balance for this year's Cabaret Festival, a party that everybody can attend. This work was created with the dancers and directed by Michelle Ryan, who was appointed Artistic Director of the company in 2013, a move that has proved extremely beneficial for this group, with a string of highly acclaimed productions since she took over the reigns.

The inclusive company has members both with and without a disability, and the respected choreographer, Meryl Tankard's film, Michelle's Story, was another part of this Festival, telling of her career in dance and her refusal to allow multiple sclerosis and a wheelchair stop her from dancing. Her performance in a wonderful piece, Intimacy, won her the 2015 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance, and the 2015 Adelaide Critics Circle Professional Individual Award. She is an inspiration to all of the dancers in the company.

Previously performed to recorded music, this time the very popular band, The Audreys, were with them, having reformed after a lengthy hiatus that was made possible by the end of the interstate run of The Lion King, which has kept Cameron Goodall busy for the last three years, and through his involvement in another Cabaret Festival performance also bringing him home to Adelaide. The others in the band are Taasha Coates, Tristan Goodall, and Enrico Morena. Having a live band on stage with them gave a lift to the performers, who obviously enjoyed that immediacy, as well as the fact that the musicians would leave their small rostrum to become part of the ensemble at times.

The concept is that there is a party at which the dancers, from the Restless Youth Ensemble, display those familiar activities that happen on such occasions. Josh Campton, Darcy Carpenter, Felicity Doolette, Chris Dyke, Kathryn Evans, Jianna Georgiou, Michael Hodyl, Lorcan Hopper, Michael Noble, Caitie Moloney, Dana Nance, Jesse Rochow, and Ebony Sultan form the ensemble, and all get a chance to show their individual talents during the performance.

We find a couple flirting, another couple with a second girl also wanting to be with the man and being rejected, all of the men huddled in a group, excluding the woman who tries to break in, the two men in a stand-off, party games and, naturally, lots of dancing.

The dancers express the full range of emotion from coy beginnings, to frustration, to anger, to joyous outbursts of exuberance, and great poignancy. A few small tweaks have been made to the production since I first saw it and this tightening up has been very successful. It was critically acclaimed last time and is now even better, a credit to everybody who contributed to the work.

A party means dressing up and decorating the space and designer, Gaelle Mellis, has produced a bright and cheerful set and a rage of party outfits which have been equally well lit, with an eye to the various and changing moods, by Geoff Cobham. The company are fortunate to have the services of such experienced and talented people.

Watch out for future performances by this marvellous company.

Here is a brief look at the production.

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