Metro Arts bring a fresh new production to audiences with Explain Normal. By Daniele Constance in collaboration with Aha Ensemble and Phluxus2 Dance Collective this immersive dance performance with elements of theatre asks questions around day to day living and how humans really see each other. Featuring a range of talented performers that express their uniqueness through their own way of moving, Explain Normal is a must see for any person in this day and age.
There are so many different elements that Explain Normal brings to the table with this performance. From each of the performers taking turns to have silhouettes drawn around them to an orange-coloured and inflated figure walking down the theatre stairs, there’s plenty to see and that’s just the start of the show! Directed by Daniele Constance and choreographed by Nerida Matthaei, this performance is well put together and radiates positive energy and ultimately hope for those of us that feel we don’t fit naturally into the mould of society.
I couldn’t help but notice a familiar face of one of the performers. It was a delight to see Kayah Guenther, who had appeared in The Crossing, on the Metro Arts stage as last time I had seen him perform was at HOTA, on the Gold Coast. All the performers on stage were clearly passionate about the work they were involved in and the message they were representing, that it is okay to be different. What is normal? One might ask this question, but Explain Normal answers it. We are all different and unique in our own way and to ‘explain normal’ is not normal.
Whilst the performance explores a lot of unique concepts in an abstract way, there is still a clear understanding of the intention of each aspect and why it exists in the show in the first place. There is a moving element to the performance with a see through box that moves across the stage. Explain Normal is best viewed as a mixture of different pieces of the same puzzle. In order to understand the entirety of what the performance is trying to say the audience member needs to understand each piece individually.
One by one the performers step toward the microphone and present a snippet of a story to their life, intertwined with an expression of dance before and after their dialogue. One performer describes a long lost friendship found again, another describes her inability to locate black coloured sock in her house and another describes numerous, and rather strange, way to die. The audience gets a sense of each performer and who they are as a person through a projection of their face on the back of the theatre and accompanying voice over.
Each aspect of the performance is fluid. Whilst there isn’t a real structure or clear narrative that doesn’t mean you can’t freely explore the themes at hand and ponder your own interpretation throughout the show, there is breathing room to do so. Everyone needs to see Explain Normal because it touches on the ways that we recognise other human beings in our lives. The contents of the performance wakes people up to the strange feeling of being viewed carefully by others but also touches on the need to be recognised as individuals. This is a must see for people of all ages and backgrounds, and will open you up to being looked at with loving eyes. There isn’t a way to Explain Normal, but if you give this show a watch you might just feel right for being who you are.
Sue Benner Theatre, Metro Arts
17 – 26 October, 2019
Artist Talk: 24 October, post-show
Auslan Interpreted Performance: 25 October, 7pm
Photograph Credit: Jorge Serra
Review by: Joanna Letic