SHADOWLAND

SHADOWLAND, Pilobolus at The State Theatre, 17 June - 20 June, 2014, then touring to Canberra, Perth and Adelaide. Photography: Emmanuel Donny.

It’s almost impossible not to crack a smile in the first enchanting moments of Shadowland.

Not just in the opening scene, where a girl (Lauren Yalango) swoops through the air on the backs of her fellow dancers, but simply by the idea that among all the high-tech gadgetry of the 21st century, it’s still possible to be transported and entirely beguiled by that oldest of art forms: shadow puppetry.

There’s no digital trickery involved in this latest creation by the US dance company Pilobolus: every shape you see on stage, from circus elephants to centaurs, billowing jellyfish to blossoming lotus flowers, is formed by the bodies of the nine dancers and a prop or two.

It would smack of gimmickry if it wasn’t for two things: Pilobolus have been creating these acrobatic, shape-shifting works since 1971, and the genuine emotion reactions the characters elicit from the audience.

In theory, you shouldn’t care about the fate of a half-dog, half human shadow puppet. But you do.

The story behind it is simple: a young girl, cossetted by her over-anxious parents, is desperate to grow up and be independent. Escaping into a dream one night, she is transported into the murky world of Shadowland, where she encounters an increasingly fantastic parade of people, places and animals.

A bunch of hungry cooks want to turn her into their next meal. A menacing hand shadow turns her into the half-human “Dog Girl”. A dreadlocked cowboy takes Dog Girl under his wing then abandons her. She’s captured by a circus owner, whose clutches she must escape if she wants to return home.

There’s no great secret to how these creatures are created – in fact, in one scene Pilobolus make a point of showing you how four dancers combine to create a perfect fairytale castle – yet on opening night, the appearance of each shadow caused a storm of spontaneous applause and a few admiring gasps.

Set designer Neil Patel keeps the staging simple: the lighting and collection of screens upon which the shadows are projected are moved and operated by the dancers, allowing them to manipulate the size and dimensions of each shadow to create the desired effect. Interspersing the shadow play scenes are dynamic dance sequences which highlight the dancers’ impressive technique, explosive strength and flexibility.

The music is by songwriter and composer David Poe and runs the gamut of emotions from delight to sadness and back again. The final song If it gives you joy is particularly memorable.

All in all, it’s enchanting, enthralling and thoroughly fun, and what’s more, the encore is a delight. As the girl next to me said: “it’s almost better than the show” – and that’s really saying something.