Hoof it to Anna K

The small house of 30 gave a standing ovation to Anna K. We appreciated that the dancers worked as hard for us as if the 300 capacity Centenary Hall had been packed. And, we appreciated the exhilarating dance we’d just experienced…

Bailey Snyman (SBYA for Dance 2012) and Nicola Haskins choreograph a cast of seven in this interesting, exciting work. Inspired by Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, Snyman and Haskins interrogate themes of desire, jealousy, betrayal, class systems and gender roles.

Using the choreographic technique of accumulation, the opening scene’s intriguing build-up is achieved: a shift in weight, a hoof flick, a trained trot, controlled rearing. The dancers wear riding pants and the women have high, swishing ponytails. They’re boxed in by railings, completing the image of racehorses waiting to break free. And when they do…

The choice to use the analogy of Anna as a horse works particularly well. This significant symbolism in the novel translates to the stage in a critique on engendered social norms, and looks at the bestial elements of human nature. We witness Anna, a bucking horse, being ‘broken’ by a brutish man – to break a horse is to train it against its nature, to break its wild spirit. Hers is defied and she submits… becoming the show horse he wants to display. This poignant metaphor provides sharp commentary on entrenched gender roles, and the work holds up its metaphorical statements throughout.

The dancers’ impressive skills are displayed but not without meaning. They whirl through the air, dangerously swing each other by the necks – it keeps the audience on their toes. But the moves are textured. Repeated movement phrases are given a new feel. What was earlier performed with vigour is transformed into a sensual and tender duet. It’s this nuanced treatment of dance that makes Anna K effective.

If you’ve read the novel you’ll enjoy the textured approach to Anna K’s analogies and themes. But Anna K stands alone as a great dance work too, which presents a compelling story performed with precision and power. The only disappointment was that Nicola Haskins doesn’t perform.

— Sarah Roberson

Anna K is on today (12/07) at 2pm (now!) and tonight at 10pm.