It’s one thing to create a show and only focus on what occurs on stage, but it’s another thing to create an all-encompassing experience, and that is what Co3 has achieved once again with GATHERING.2.
The Liberty Theatre served as the vessel for this production and I must say it’s looking better and better each time I visit. From an old, crumbling, forgotten relic to a hub of entertainment; I take any chance to see how its renovations are progressing.
The cavity of the theatre space was awash with pink and purple lighting. A large seating bank was a new addition to the space, but as I knew from my last experience at GATHERING.1, there would be no sitting tonight. Bar staff and patrons were grooving to MOWGLI, who was placed front and centre on the stage, and three dancers, STREET CREW, consisting of Logan Ringsaw, Angelina Boladeras and Deco Zymm (Akeem Reid), encouraged the ever-growing audience to dance with them.
GATHERING.2 consists of four short works by four different West Australian choreographers, starting with Laura Boynes’ ON & ON. Dancers’ hands and heads poke out from the gaps in the seating bank, and they gradually contort their bodies to crawl and lift themselves out of the narrow space. This was an exciting watch as the dancers ascended into the huddle of bodies in the audience, unafraid to nearly throw themselves into someone (of course done with the utmost control). At the flick of a beat, the dancers were set into reverse and pulled themselves back through everything they had just done, including putting garments back on which they had shed through their original journey.
IN.RESIDENCE: GATHERING.2 (2026), curated by Raewyn Hill. Image of NEVER LONELY NOW choreographed by Sam Coren, featuring Co3 Company Dancers. Photo by Emma Fishwick.
In the break between ON & ON and the next piece, NEVER LONELY NOW by Sam Coren, I reflected on how much I love the visual identity of all of Co3’s works, more specifically, the style its Artistic Director Raewyn Hill has developed for the company. If you’re a regular attendee of the company’s shows, you’ll know of the signature hairstyles the dancers wear. Braids, slick backs, tiny and precise buns dotted neatly down their heads. I can imagine it feels like a rite of passage to get the signature Co3/Raewyn Hill look. The costuming is also something I consistently admire and enjoy, especially the cohesion across the productions of layered pieces, similar colour palettes and even the recycling of items from previous productions. From a branding perspective, you know exactly who you’re looking at when you lay eyes on a Co3 ensemble.
NEVER LONELY NOW subtly began with the dancers spread throughout the space wearing various animal masks, which were instantly creepy and unsettling as intended. The creepiness didn’t last too long and even took a comical turn at times. It ended with what I interpreted as a fight with death, or perhaps it was a fight with one’s inner self. As is the joy with dance, you make your own interpretation. Throughout each performance, grainy live projections of the dancers and audience were cast across one of the walls, harkening back to the space’s original use as a cinema. Some moments looked like vintage, wholesome family footage, yet at other times, like during this performance, I wondered if someone were to stumble upon this footage they’d likely question whether what they were watching was some kind of cult activity!
Our third piece, from choreographer May Greenberg, DANCEAGOGE felt super expressive and leaned into the setting of the deserted theatre. The dancers at times looked possessed. Things took a very lynch-esque turn when a blast from a confetti cannon was let off and Frank Sinatra blared through the speakers. While it gave some audience members a jolt, I loved this moment. Expect the unexpected!
Wrapping up the performances was Shaun Johnston’s MAKE//BELIEVE. This piece leaned more into physical theatre and highlighted the dancers’ talents as not just movers but actors. Vocals and facial expressions aplenty, this was a fun and light-hearted end to the program, following a fairy-tale storyline filled with power, fights and whimsy.
IN.RESIDENCE: GATHERING.2 is the perfect offering at any time, but particularly if you have Dark Mofo FOMO. Go and enjoy some great talent, excellent music and a spectacular atmosphere.
IN.RESIDENCE: GATHERING.2 presented by Co3 is on at the Liberty Theatre from June 18 -July 4.