Kayah and Gavin Webber, what a pair. And where do I start on a team such as these two? Two artists, a young man with Down Syndrome (Kayah) and choreographer (Webber) discover the meaning of identity and belonging through a physical theatre performance with abstract elements. Presented by The Farm at the Gold Coast Home of the Arts The Crossing runs from June 22nd-23rd and is well worth a watch.
The performance starts off with a short clip called ‘The Battle’. As we watch we view a powerfully composed video that features Kayah and represents his battles by placing him in the middle of a crossroads. By doing so we get to see that Kayah has a difficult life fitting in and finding his way and that it is all the more an achievement and success that he is sharing his story today with an audience. We gather contextual knowledge on Kayah and the way he feels about dancing before we enter the performance on a live front.
When the lights go on and the show transitions to a live setting we see that Kayah and Gavin Webber are an extraordinary pair that have gone through amazing lengths together to put this shown on for a live audience. Not only have they worked hard to make Kayah’s dream a reality, but working together and the movements between Webber and Kayah’s bodies is an amazing and poetic display. It really is something to see Kayah and Webber dance together, they start off slow with intense, pulsing music and begin to move in a very gradually progressive and minimalist fashion. As the two performers mirror each other’s movements we begin to draw similarities and discover that Kayah and Webber are like twins in a sense that they move and compliment each other in every way.
It’s not everyday you see a performance centred around Down Syndrome and this is what makes The Crossing a strong and satisfying piece of physical theatre. When the emotional and contextual emotions are explained prior and we understand Kayah’s world, we then get to see it in action and the way he moves, in his own form, is powerful and moving to watch. The pair move in unusual ways across the theatre stage and connect with each other in complementary and opposing ways. Not only do they know how to make the audience chuckle, with a fight breaking out between the two of them and Webber wanting to get rid of and effectively kill Kayah and then Kayah turning into a zombie and getting his revenge, but there are also some beautifully poetic moments of flowing movement and mirroring that are an absolute joy to experience as an audience member.
Whether it be the physical humour, cheeky revenge plots, Kayah’s zombie impersonation or the more abstract dance movements and mirroring between the two - there is something there for everyone to enjoy. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you’ve been through you will enjoy The Crossing for just being human. And yes, the performance starts out with two men in undies.
Home of the Arts Theatre
22-23 June
Joanna Letic