GöteborgsOperans Danskompani (Roslyn Packer) ★★★★

Skid by Damien Jalet & SAABA by Sharon Eyal. GöteborgsOperans Danskompani. Sydney Festival. Roslyn Packer Theatre. 23-28 Jan, 2024

Sweden’s GöteborgsOperans Danskompani bring 38 dancers and two different, but equally spectacular pieces to Sydney Festival that strive to demonstrate “the new” in different ways. 

Skid by Damien Jalet pushes its performers by presenting itself on a precipitous 34-degree slope. Wearing sportswear, the dancers slide and tumble, using friction and grip to carefully control their pace. The unrelenting pull of gravity is a force to be obeyed, but also played with, fought with, and ultimately, in a feat of pure humanity… overcome. 

The three-act structure of Skid instantly pushed my mind into a traditional narrative space, charting a story of humanity’s desire to achieve, to strive above the natural world it is born into. As the dancers learn to use their speed, strength and the tug of gravity in different ways they tentatively begin to stand and work together. In the second part, they attack the slope in groups, leaping and dancing their way up the incline (like a particularly gruelling HIIT class). Before, in a remarkable third act, a single performer, wrapped in an organic, heart-shaped piece of fabric, is “born” and rises up the slope, naked and alone. A human achievement, with an unexpected ending. It is clear why Skid is one of GöteborgsOperans Danskompani’s signature pieces.

In contrast, SAABA by Sharon Eyal pushes its company in different ways. Pulsing nightclub beats by DJ Ori Lichtik, propel broken balletic forms (the dancers are on demi-pointe for almost the entire 45 performance) across the stage. In flesh-coloured leotards designed by Dior’s Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri, the company moves in unison, often in a straight, assembly-line (or catwalk-like) fashion. That is, until it doesn’t. One dancer, a different one each time, alters the piece and moves the work in a new direction. At times sexy and at times grotesque, each performer imbues their role with a unique energy – this isn’t choreographed for tight group movements, but rather organic expressions as a whole. 

There is a constant tension between the group and the individual though SAABA that intrigued me. A push-pull with the forms of ballet (the leotards, the slippers etc) that never rests, the beat never breaks. As much as the moves fight against the traditions, they are never overcome completely. Even as the curtain closes, the dancers dance to the beat.

GöteborgsOperans Danskompani are renowned and these two works make it clear why. Both fun and form-breaking, this is exciting contemporary dance to watch and a real treat of the Sydney Festival.