Anatomy For Accounts

Review by Thuranie Aruliah

Staged in the historic mid-Victorian anatomy lecture theatre, where the dark wooden seats rise steeply in a horseshoe around the intimate demonstration space, the Java Dance Theatre from New Zealand exposes us, not to the dissection of the dead human body, but to the detailed evaluation of its living parts.

Sacha Copland, dancer, challenges Tristan Carter, pianist and accountant, to cost each part of her anatomy, internal and external. What price would one pay for its replacement? Copland surprises us with a vibrant, lithe performance of interpretive dance, reminiscent of Isadora Duncan in her celebration of classical poses and sheer joy of movement, as the screen on the wall creates a cumulative total. The accountant then goes through a clinical process of deductibles, based on wear and tear, and the value of the body plummets, before Copland counters her ultimate worthlessness with a more cerebral exploration of what it means to be human and alive.

Any initial shock at the sight of an unclothed body is soon superseded by wonder and delight at Copland’s lively performance and engaging personality, as she leads us through breathing exercises, to become aware of our own bodies’ potential and power. By the end, we felt more truly alive than when we arrived.

An exhilarating, mind-opening and life-enhancing show.