2 ONE ANOTHER

The sexy, explosive and deeply emotive world premiere that has everyone talking is Rafael Bonachela’s major work, 2 One Another.

This is the Sydney Dance Company at its most personal, an examination of human nature, relationships and the beauty of the human form sculpted through poetry and the personal emotional reactions of the 16 dancers involved in the production. According to one of the more experienced of the dancers, the stunning Charmene Yap, who was recently recognised as one of the dancers of the year by Dance Australia magazine, the nature of the piece has ensured a particularly grueling rehearsal process for the dancers as they are forced to strip bare their emotions for their art.

“It’s quite an abstract representation of things … The way we created it was through tasks and video interviews to express our personal emotions, so in a way it comes from an emotional point of view,” she says.

Initially shaped during a dynamic collaboration between Bonachela, the dancers and poet Samuel Webster in September 2011, 2 One Another is a result of an intense exploration of the essential interactions between human beings, and the external impacts on these connections. The text used in the production has been written by Webster, who, according to Yap, “came and watched, then from what he saw he wrote whatever he wanted. We then responded to those words.” Human voice is through this process interwoven into the music, creating a unique and chilling soundscape.

“For me this process has been very much about the freedom to explore whatever I wanted,” says Yap. “It depends on the day I’m having as well. [Bonachela] likes to work with dancers who give him as much as he gives them. So it’s like table tennis, bouncing ideas back and forth.” The arduous exploration of the philosophies of human relationships: the couple (2), the individual (One) and the group (Another), will undoubtedly ensure a memorable and exhilarating performance, one into which the dancers have poured their mental as well as physical energy.

Mar 9-31, Sydney Theatre, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $40-75, 9250 1999, sydneytheatre.org.au

BY MARILYN HETRELES