There have been many interpretations of Shakespeare’s great love tragedy Romeo and Juliet and the Theatre Royal will be host to a new fresh interpretation by the Expressions Dance Company (EDC) a company with a strong commitment to education and contemporary dance under the guidance of its artistic director Natalie Weir who oversees her spectacular six (3 boy and 3 girl) dancers.
I talk to one of the dancers, Samantha Mitchell recently. Samantha hasn’t been to Tasmania as yet but she is familiar with our famous gourmet farmer, Matthew Evans.
Expressions Dance Company’s production is divided into 3 separate parts, the first being a modern day interpretation involving as a background the story of Brisbane night life in the Fortitude Valley and a meeting occurring on a night out.
The second segment is a story closer to the traditional interpretation of the story of Romeo and Juliet, albeit the set is very abstract.
The third interpretation moves further from the original story and is set in suburbia.
I ask Samantha how a dance interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s plays, where the text is so important can be enacted without language at all.
Samantha says that Natalie Weir is able to install the movement of the dancers with such emotion and so true to the human relationship and what Shakespeare was attempting to achieve with the text in describing such a emotive love.
An advantage of the lack of language is, that the production which is popular with school children in Brisbane, is a wonderful introduction to the story of Romeo and Juliet without being put off by the difficult text.
Samantha has been doing classical ballet since she was 4 years old but has also trained in contemporary dance which she loves the freedom of in being able to introduce your own movements.
Dance can break down language barriers which is very important for a production that has a great belief in reaching other cultures. The company has performed in China and Switzerland.
A refreshing thing about this production is the ‘Community Engagement component ‘ a commitment by the dance company to include some of the young local dancers in the production in this case polytechnic dance students in the first act as extras in the night club scene in the first act.
You can see R and J at the Theatre Royal on Friday 26th of April and Saturday 27th April at 8pm.
Paula Xiberras
