Sometimes I go to a show that is so visceral and then wonder how I can do justice to it with mere words. CORE was one of those shows. An interaction of theatre and dance that takes the best of both art forms. It’s a story about Aboriginal survival and the iterations of community that the dance floor brings.
It starts with a rave. Those gatherings that originated in the underground as a place for ‘the others’ of society to congregate. But language has evolved and that word means something different now. These thoughts of the changing nature of the scene immediately pulled me into the shoes of First Nations people who watched this happen on a far larger and significant scale. In a place now called Australia where language and culture is being reclaimed. It made me wonder, what did community look like here before British invasion?
CORE. Photography by Cole Baxter.
Guided by movement director Kurtis Brown, the dynamic between performers Shontae Wright and Anna Knight brought a powerful presence to their shared scenes. This shone through in a standout moment, with Anna representing European settlement and flaunting Australian flag merchandise, while Shontae’s character’s struggles as an Aboriginal person unfolded in the background. The different kind of intensity Shontae brought to the scene, scrambling around in pain and confusion while the white character sunbaked carelessly on an Australian flag towel, presented an idea so eloquently without the need for dialogue. In this scene, Shontae’s ability to represent how Indigenous struggles were cast aside as background noise, while also conjuring an undeniable stage presence, created a potent contrast.
CORE presents a concentrated embodiment of a 200 year struggle, with a soft landing to bring the story back to Country with a restorative ending. It leaves you with hope whilst holding the memory, including some more contemporary, of oppression.