The Other Side of Me
Description
The production opens with two prisoners, shuffling through the audience towards their cell, discussing a story they recently heard – that of a young Indigenous man.
He was adopted from the Northern Territory, and taken all the way to England, and his young life ended while in custody over there. He never got to return to his home, except in his dreams.
As they step onto stage, this stark world dissolves; three spotlights illuminate the prison benches, and a little toy truck downstage.
As the dance unfolds the audience are transported into the mind of this man. The two dancers represent different sides of the same person. The British side, and the Indigenous Australian side. The side he knew and the side he didn’t. He is trapped, not just in prison, but also in his head.
The choreography moves through anger, compassion, exploration and understanding. The First Nations side gains more strength as the man remembers his early life.
Memories exist on the other side of me. I have two sides. The side I know. And the side I don’t.
Presented by GARY LANG NT DANCE COMPANY, BlakDance and Arts Margaret River.
