Jacki Job’s latest creation is a rewarding show and a must-see. One of our most talented dancers, she is moreover a highly original choreographer. I could extol her virtues for the rest of this review: exquisite looks, intelligence, charisma — you can bestow almost any laurel on her.Job is extraordinary in carrying off what amounts to a virtually solo dance performance of five pieces. The playful opening is choreographically the most imaginative. To Garth Erasmus’s whimsical saxophone, Job transforms herself into an insect drawn to an open flame. She has a gift for discovering physical gestures that convey emotion as clearly as a facial expression.However, in devising her own show Job’s task in This Side Up is not all plain sailing. I disliked the inclusion of the music video Insomnia. It is competently shot, but its only remarkable aspect is Job’s dancing, and this is much better viewed live. I don’t go to the theatre to see videos, and the big ugly white screen formed a poor, detracting backdrop throughout.The waters get choppy with the piece U & Me, performed in memory of Gordon McAllister. It is approached with rare bravery, but when artists bare their personal lives on stage they often come dangerously close to erring on the side of self-indulgence. Audiences get squeamish and the experience looses clarity. The spoken words, like most narrative in dance, fell rather flat.The final sequence is a daredevil aerial act à la Cirque du Soleil. The audience gasped and were moved to clap after each acrobatic twist, which didn’t sit comfortably with the dance element.Job is an artist of international calibre and should be held to the highest standards. At this moment she still enjoys the freedom to experiment, and thanks to a deep keel of inventive and intelligent work, the show comes right side up.
This Side Up runs at the Arena of the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town until April 20. Book at Computicket.