Artistic directors and cofounders of the Adelaide Ballet, Rejane Garcia and Sarah Humeniuk have a vision – to establish a professional ballet company that honours the timeless beauty of the art form, while telling the stories of South Australia. And, in the confines of the Light Room Studio at ILA, Adelaide’s Immersive Light and Art, they have assembled four dancers – Aki Pargealiti, Elia Noon, Jackeline Valente and Matthew Jordan – to bring to life a day in the life of the Murray River, in inaugural work Murray Whispers.
The floor is awash in a deep haze, with Hugo Ramirez‘s image of a morning river scene projected onto the long screen surrounding the performance space. Ashley Hribar‘s haunting piano music fills the space, sounding like a morning lullaby. It takes a little while to realise that the dancers are “swimming” in the river as visibility from the back rows is quite limited. But, once the people in the back row stand up, they see the spirits slowly waking up.
The fog clears, the dancers stand, and the day begins. The music is light and airy, and the slowly moving landscapes shift to a new location. The dancers, dressed in green and brown toned dresses -clearly an ode to the Australian colours of the river banks – have been transformed into water spirits by costume designer Kira Bayliss and costume maker Alice Ong.
The story seemed to evolve as the day itself evolves, taking us from day to night along the banks of the river. There was no particular drama or high point to focus on, though there was a complicated love triangle in the later part of the performance, followed by a change of pace, with some light hearted music and dance. Murray Whispers feels like a purely Western adaption, with no Indigenous influence in the story, or even an Acknowledgement of Country before the start of the show.
Whilst the sound was clear and bright, the lighting was confusing, with dancers often in the dark, and the sharp edge between the screen and the floor was somewhat distracting. The dancers were clearly talented, but there was a lot of slipping and noise on the Marley floor, which seemed to take some of the spontaneity from the performance, as they seemed to be quite careful on where to step. This led to things feeling a little less than smooth.
Once twilight fell on the river, the show was over, and the artistic directors came on stage to explain their vision. Unfortunately we weren’t introduced to the dancers, who stood awkwardly behind, but it’s heartening to see a new dance company starting up, and Murray Whispers shows that it certainly has promise. Apart from some technical issues, it’s a strong start for a new company.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Adelaide Ballet brings the strength of tradition to South Australia. It is dedicated to artistry and technique excellence while delivering bold, innovative, and exhilarating performances. Check out their website for upcoming performances.
The reviewer attended opening night on 15th August, 2025
Images supplied by PR.
