Lake Wānaka Centre
Monday, March 27
REVIEWED BY MICHAEL ZEGA
It is hard to do justice to dance by writing words about it. But how about doing justice to the written word with dance? How much harder must that be?
Full kudos to choreographer Loughlan Prior and the Royal New Zealand Ballet for nailing this outstanding tribute to Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand’s trail-blazing maverick for women and for literature.
Throughout the early 20th century Mansfield’s brief but busy life was full of extraordinary events, which Prior cherry-picks as emotional episodes that suit translation into lyrical dance.
Woman of Words, co-commissioned by the Wānaka Festival of Colour, traces Mansfield’s personal and literary growth from early love and success to her adventures in Bohemian Europe, marriage, and struggles with ill health.
Spoken words from Mansfield’s letters and writing help to place time and location and minimalist staging sparks to life with evocative sound design, lighting and descriptive costuming.
Kirby Selchow’s charismatic and approachable Katherine remains centre stage as the world revolves around her through good times and bad. Prior depicts the traumas of her progressive illness as well as delighting in the gaiety and humour in her writing.
Selchow and a captivating Mayu Tanigaito as Maata/Martha bring real depth of feeling to their long romantic relationship, overshadowing that with her husband John Middleton Murry (Levi Teachout).
Emotions range from intense when living the life in London to dramatic and moving with the onset of illness and associated confinement. There are complex movements on a busy stage, and throughout the ensemble work is excellent.
Kudos also for the exquisite opening work, Christopher Wheeldon’s haunting pas de deux After the Rain, set to composer Arvo Part’s Spiegel im Spiegel.
Sara Garbowski and Damani Campbell Williams appeared joined at the hip, their timing and trust raising this most delicate of dancers’ dances from the norm and giving it a new dimension of slow-burning passion.
What a way to open a festival!
