The Chronicles (Sydney Festival) ★★★★½

Choreographed by Stephanie Lake. World Premiere. Sydney Festival. Roslyn Packer Theatre. 16-19 Jan, 2025.

Stephanie Lake takes us from womb to tomb in the thrilling dance piece, The Chronicles. Clashing imagery of the organic meets the cold inorganic, and conformity collides with individualism before erupting in a maelstrom of hay. For someone like me, who is more steeped in theatre than dance, The Chronicles presented me with imagery I’ve not seen before in a dance performance. I was enthralled.

The Chronicles is overflowing with ideas. Each stage of life adopts its own visual and kinetic language, filling the Roslyn Packer stage with moments of beauty, grace, rage, and invention. Over the span of one hour, we move through 7 or 8 distinct phases. Just when you think things are settling, the playbook is rewritten.

It makes for an exciting viewing experience, as you both appreciate the work in front of you and sit in anticipation to see what happens next. Lake saves her most visually arresting concept until the end, transforming company member Jack Ziesing into a writhing, constantly shedding mass of fibres. It’s both joyous and awe inspiring.

I also appreciated how each member of the company received small showcasing moments throughout the piece. Each dancer clearly has their own forte, which is used to bring subtle tweaks and elevations to sections. From one member’s extreme flexibility to another’s physical strength and height, the choreography is tailored to the artist.

The music by Robin Fox constantly flips the tone, from a propulsive beat to the ethereal choral music of the Sydney Children’s Choir, from an eerily organic series of clicks and hums to disconcerting snippets of reversed music, and the elegiac cry of a solo rendition of Alphaville’s ‘Forever Young’ (by soloist Oliver Mann).

Harriet Oxley’s costumes start off in muted natural tones with geometric prints before moving through a phase of more sexualised, revealing pieces, and then into stark blacks. Meanwhile, Bosco Shaw’s dynamic lighting design forms an integral part of the storytelling—the light is often confining and controlling, sometimes warm and elating. Set designer Charles Davis gives us a series of reveals, beginning sparse but gradually unveiling the natural world as both an oasis and a chaotic force.

I can honestly say that in The Chronicles, Stephanie Lake has shown me visions I’ve never seen before on stage, and that’s a gift. The playfulness and power of her choreography fill the 60 minutes of the show with material that never fails to impress.