Play at Dunstan Playhouse

Legendary choreographer Pina Bausch championed the work of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Shantala Shivalingappa, inviting them to collaborate; and Play is the result. Merging the traditional form of Indian Kuchipudi with contemporary dance, Play intertwines two cultural forms into an astonishingly beautiful aesthetic.

A subtle hand gesture reveals hidden meanings. Voices dance. Music and song create an unseen choreography. Play pivots on two intertwined conceits: the role-playing required in theatre and the games people play – in this case, a man and a woman. Games of chess, games of seduction, ploys where male-female energies are pitted, not so much against each other as in winning over the other.