Reviews

Image (above): Café Müller © Oliver Look. Image courtesy of Berliner Festspiele

The late and great German choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch was appointed as the director of Wuppertal Ballet in 1973; she renamed the company Tanztheater Wuppertal and revolutionized modern dance in the process. Even after her passing in 2009, her works are celebrated and performed all over the world.

‘Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me / I’m not sleepy, and there is no place I’m going to’ – this well-known chorus from Bob Dylan’s famous song would be an apt description of the feelings from the captivated audience at Adelaide’s Her Majesty’s Theatre, listening to Cat Power and her amazing band.

Do not take your children to see this ballet. This is a strange way to start a review but it needs to be said and said often – this ballet is not suitable for children. It not only includes adult themes but horrific depictions of gendered and intimate partner violence. Carmen should come with a trigger warning far more explicit than we are given. Art is a product of its time and so audiences need to be prepared to see ideas and ideologies that may be outdated. But just because you can show something doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

John idolised his Uncle Max – but he disappeared at sea when John was only ten years old, and all he was left was a book of maritime folklore and a hagstone that reveals sirens and witches as their true selves.

When he’s old enough, he’s going to buy a boat, follow the treasure maps scrawled over his uncle’s book and find out the truth.

Tom Robins of Curious Roach Collective tells this story, racing through the excitement of mythical sea creatures and summoning a tempest with ill-advised pursed lips (the storm whistling of the title).