Aussie dance group set to wow Ha Noi

Three sheets to the wind: Dancers from the Australian Remnant Dance troupe will perform at the Youth Theatre in Ha Noi tomorrow. — File Photo

HA NOI — Artists from Australia's Remnant Dance troupe will stage a free contemporary dance performance at the Youth Theatre in the capital city tomorrow.

The performance titled Small Pieces, A Gift will be the Australian dance company's debut in Viet Nam. The show will feature several different works ranging from short inter-disciplinary pieces to longer works performed by the troupe's six dancers.

Four pieces including The Greeting, My Grandmother's Piano, Two Coats and Breath are short performances of five to 15 minutes in length. The show's last work will be Eyre We Go, a 20-minute dance piece that tells the story of a journey of hope.

Eyre We Go is a site-specific installation performance piece incorporating filmed footage of Lake Eyre in central Australia and features ambient music and film footage of a woman dancing across the surface of Lake Eyre, which is dry throughout part of the year but floods during the wet season. Live dancers during the show will also use movement to explore this story of water in an old and dry continent.

The Remnant Dance troupe is based in Perth, Australia and specialises in interdisciplinary dance works that incorporate film, printed imagery and music.

Lucinda Coleman, Remnant Dance founder and choreographer, says she is excited about bringing Australian contemporary dancers to Ha Noi, where there is a long history and appreciation of dance.

"The creative process transcends cultural and linguistic differences and allows for human connectivity through one of the most powerful of human faculties: the imagination," says Coleman.

"We are looking forward to experiencing the passion the Vietnamese have for their own dance and cultural heritage – and sharing our own," Coleman says.

Coleman has 20 years experience as a performer, choreographer and dance educator. She holds a Masters in Creative Industries (Dance Teaching) from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia and her most recent academic paper was published in the journal Research in Dance Education Vol 12 (Routledge) in December 2011.

Remnant Dance is a collaborative and creative collection of experienced dancers with a combined 50 years of experience in performing ballet, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary dance in Australia, the US and Europe. The dancers range in age from 20 to 42 and reflect Australia's diverse cultural heritage.

The dancers will arrive in Ha Noi today, and the show starts at 8pm tomorrow at the Youth Theatre, 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street. The dancers will also hold a discussion with the Youth Theatre's artists on June 28, while also staging a performance at Ha Noi Rock City on June 24 and at Trung Nguyen Cafe on June 26 and 27. The shows in Viet Nam are in preparation for the troupe's 2014 Asia Tour. — VNS