★★★★
Adelaide Fringe. Ukiyo, Gluttony. 8 Mar 2023
I’m only guessing if I offer an explanation for the name Bones… a show which relies upon the human skeleton for the wonderful ways in which dancers and performers use their bodies…? The bare bones of our relationship with addictions in the modern world laid bare for all to see…? The bones of a performance of one hours’ duration to be enlarged at a later date…?
Bones may be all those things, or none. Utilising the skills of five performers - one man and four women - it explores the limits of addiction, both physical and mental. Within society there are many things to trigger our addictive nature: social media, materialism, substance abuse, food, sex and health and fitness. It is the latter addiction which had the greatest impact with me, since it seems these days everybody is wearing active wear, some flexing, some posturing and preening, some over-committing at the gym. The way the limits were examined by the young women, obsessed with body image, laid bare the issues. It really was a wonderful expose, as was the later exploration of sexuality and sex.
You may infer the dance was powerful, erotic, and very, very visual, yet even in the space of almost exactly one hour there existed audience members who were unable to curb their own impulses. A young woman opposite me snuck at least four looks and sent at least two texts in that time - a devotee to social media who simply could not control her compulsive behaviour. There were also two young men, one to either side of me, who similarly had to sneak peeks at their phones throughout. One of them had dimmed his screen; obviously a repeat offender.
None of this offers real explanation for why we pursue such activities. It’s human nature, and the fact that the male cast member had a chair and claimed a background as a clinical psychologist made little of explaining the behaviour. This was an expose through the physicality of dance, and an excellent one at that.
Alex Wheaton
When: 8 to 12 Mar
Where: Ukiyo at Gluttony
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
