Acclaimed gay choreographer Michael Parmenter's first new dance work in over a decade received favourable reviews in Wellington last week and is now captivating audiences in Auckland's Maidment Theatre. "Brilliant": Michael Parmenter's 'Tent' Described as "dance that won't be held down," Tent draws on ideas of tension and shelter, community and displacement, says Parmenter. "In a period of great population dispersals, of refugee camps, detentions centers and of the forced imprisonment of terror suspects, the tent has become the image of humanity cast adrift from its traditional roots," he explains. "The word 'tent' has the same root as dance (tanz) and tension, and is one of the oldest metaphors for the human body. A tent is a site of fleeting encounters, improvisations and accidental discoveries." Theatreview.org.nz gave Tent high praise: "It takes a great deal of effort to make dance like this look as effortless as it does. There is a brilliantly danced and disturbing section by Sarah Foster and three men; a wonderful solo by Christopher Tandy who is a fantastic dancer. His extremely flexible body is capable of spaghetti-like back bends and high extensions, unusual in a male dancer... there is a new vitality and youthful exuberance apparent." Tent's Auckland season ends this Sunday.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Thursday, 16th October 2008 - 11:12am