Nightdance

Imagine a dark room, throbbing minimalist techno, pulsating fluoro lights, primal movements juxtaposing with rhythmic sensuality. Nightdance, a new work by Australian- and Berlin-based choreographer and performer Melanie Lane, gives the audience a voyeuristic fly on the wall look at a nightclub scene and all the hedonistic and eccentric things that go along with it.

Presented by Arts House and featuring Lane alongside her co-creators and co-performers Lilian Steiner and Gregory Lorenzutti, this mersmerising work is sometimes funny, sometimes uncomfortable, but always hypnotising. The piece transitions between slow, sensual movements and erratic, semi-violent repetition. Laugh-out-loud sequences such as raver robo cop shooting out his laser beams break up the intensity. Hints of burlesque, lap dance, masquerade and rave culture mesh together and keep the hour-long show enthralling the entire time.

The dancers are incredible: their level of control and strength is breathtaking. Most people doing the same moves would look ridiculous but they just look sexy. For the first half of the performance, the dancers face the audience, staring into the crowd with unwavering focus as they writhe around. It’s utterly captivating.

The three main performers are dressed simply in beige sheer clothing, highlighting their movements as they weave in and out of synchronicity with each other. As the piece progresses more characters emerge, such as Jersey Shore Barbie, head to toe glitter man, a stunning drag queen and a cabaret-style singer. Its inclusion of all types of different characters is refreshing. The stage is simply set, a satiny black sheet covers the floor until it also becomes a part of the performance. The flashing on-and-off again lighting added to the nightclub feel, but it was almost a bit too disruptive.

Nightdance is a voyeuristic window into nightclub culture. It shines a spotlight on its temptations and how that translates in the entertainment industry, while reveling in the primal joy of dancing and getting lost in its trance.

Nightdance at Arts House
521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
artshouse.com.au/events/nightdance