Quiet Motion

Melbourne Fringe Festival 2023

Review by Olivia Lowes

Anna Tolotchkov and Erin Taube’s double bill Quiet Motion premiered on the 11th of October as part of this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival. The choreographers developed two unique yet highly compatible short works at The Space Dance and Arts Centre’s warehouse style ‘Skydeck’ in the heart of inner Melbourne’s Prahran.

Strategically framed by a set of two portable glasshouse style, sheer screens, Anna Tolotchkov’s ‘Pigeonhole’ explored the realm of honesty through interactive movement patterns between the dancers and the space that surrounds them. This movement pushed boundaries from abstract codified motifs to familiar human gestural subtleties.

The piece opened with two featured dancers Charlotte Hoppe Smith and Zoe Howard emerging from stillness, steadily elevating their lengthened arms in synchronicity, followed by a completely mirrored crawl. This was accompanied by a slow and intriguing metronome style beat and set an appropriate tone for the whole show capturing the dancers’ virtuosity through highly energetic precision of movement and attention to detail, without detracting from their own distinctive styles of movement unique to their own physicality. The audience was entranced by every minuscule motion manifested by the dancers down to every stretched fingertip.

Unique to Pigeonhole was the use of facial expressions and mimed text introduced when more sharp and angular patterns started to unfold. Motifs like wide open mouths reminiscent of laughing clowns were subtly introduced in movement sequences and progressed to more obvious and almost absurdist movements. This peaked when dancer Zoe Howard broke away from the unison movement to her own moment of more pedestrian and human expression. Squinting beyond the audience and slowing down the pace right down, Howard’s limbs curved and softened, almost like entering a new world or waking up from a dream. Alongside this Hoppe Smith’s movements became more fast, exaggerated and contorted, demonstrating impeccable physical skill and contributing to the diverse movement spectrum that embodied Pigeonhole.

Quiet Motion exhibited a plethora of different atmospheric lighting states. A standout state toward the end of Pigeonhole, was a low lit, cool blue wash that satisfyingly distorted the dancers’ obscure motions as they locomoted around and behind the sheer set pieces. A meditative orange then diffused across the space like a luminous horizon as movements dwindled out and lights faded.

After a short interval following Pigeonhole, Erin Taube’s Going, Going, Gone continued this atmospheric appeal. Vibrantly lit by hot pink and red lights, this piece reflected on visual and tonal elements of Pigeonhole regarding layout and choreography with it’s own unique overtone cleverly crafted by Taube and creatives. Covered in red spiderweb-like crocheted string, two portable set pieces again set a nice frame for the two dancers who opened the piece, Amélie Logan and Sarah Kosoof. The dancers meticulously executed a looped phrase of fluid movement with sustained swinging and circular motions, swiftly joined by more dancers Zoe Howard and Talia Benson.

Alike to Pigeonhole, a gradually introduced metronomic beat paced the performance, moderately building as movement became more rigorous and chaotic yet still fluid. Dancers began breaking away from the consistent unity, weaving through set pieces and darting around the space almost like a game of tetras. The accompanying soundscape also featured a number of high pitched frequencies, which dancers moved with and against at times; a captivating pairing of movement and sound.

Costumed in black with the same webbed material sparsely spread across garments, the four dancers adorned an almost ethereal synergy, their hair free-flowing in a slick half up-half down as they seamlessly transitioned to and from the floor.

The piece reached a climax when unison and symmetry was masterfully reintroduced as dancers performed highly intricate gestural motions, walked, glided and jumped around the space in deliberate and harmonious patterns alongside an intense beat drop.

This sequence came to an unanticipated and captivating halt as dancer Talia Benson continued moving fluidly through the space, painting shapes with her arms and contracting her torso with skilful execution. Rumbling beats of the accompanying soundscape started to fade away to an eventual silence as remaining dancers walked off stage and Benson continued to extend her limbs and twirl to the floor, her sharp external focus became internal as her gaze shifted to her fingertips and their pathway through various movements. A sonic, tactile and almost hypnotic movement sequence closing in stillness left the audience astonished by such artistry

A deeply engaging conclusion to a night of incredibly slick performance, two astounding choreographic sensations paired with exceptional spatial and sound design, and even some gorgeous merchandise available at interval. Be sure to keep an eye out for what Anna Tolotchkov, Erin Taube, their dancers and creative team come up with next!

Quiet Motion Credits

Choreographed by Anna Tolotchkov and Erin Taube

Performed by Amélie Logan, Charlotte Hoppe-Smith, Sarah Kosoof, Talia Benson, Zoe Howard

Set Design by Tiarna McPherson and Dasha Tolotchkov

Sound Design by Dion Spyropoulos and Lachie Yuilles

Lighting Design by Arielle Roberts

Photography by Tenae Smith

Cover art by Sara Ghazi