The performers in Eve and Next in line are all students at ‘The Space’, a dance and arts centre in Prahran. This school obviously breeds a love of dance and expression in its students and the opportunity to perform in the Melbourne Fringe Festival is a fantastic learning experience for these young people.
The night was made up of two separate dance performances. The first was Next in Line, a story about a group of siblings gathering for the reading of their fathers’ will. In the hope that he will teach his children a lesson about valuing wealth, he imposes a condition on their inheritance, whereby they will not receive it for ten years or until there is only one living heir remaining. What ensues was a slightly obvious performance about all the siblings trying to kill each other off, with amazing success. It would have been good to see a little more sub-plot developed, rather than just one murder following another. Some of the music choices were great, especially the tense Nancy Sinatra rendition of “Bang Bang”, although some of the transitions between songs were not very smooth. Although some of the group dances were a little out of synch, they got more coordinated as the performance progressed, and the show was executed with a charming light-heartedness. The second performance was Eve. This was a depiction of different women and the challenges that they face in the modern world. Throughout each woman’s story, the character of Eve lingered, a reminder of the “first woman of them all”. There were stories of women battling with sexism, unwanted pregnancy, extreme expectations and sexuality. At times this performance was a little cliched, especially in the music choices for each dance. It would have been nice to hear some less poppy styles of music, something a little more womanly and a little less girly. However there were some moments that sparkled throughout. The sadder, slower dances seemed to have a bit more depth to them. The dance of the woman struggling to balance the load of wife and mother and the dance of the pregnant woman were particularly capturing. The final dance of the Eve character was beautiful and fluid and when the other women joined in it was a lovely moment of unity. This performance had real heart and it was obvious that the dancers were putting their whole selves into it. This show was a fantastic opportunity for students at “The Space” to have a taste of performance. While the pieces were perhaps a little under-developed, the passion of the dancers was a pleasure to see. Eve and Next in Line have finished their run at the Fringe Festival. For more information on future projects by The Space, visit their website.