As this was The West Australian Ballet’s first production since the lifting of Phase 3 restrictions, there was a feeling of longed-for liberty let loose in the air on the opening night of Genesis LIVE.

Genesis is an annual event which gives dancers a chance to try out their choreographic skills and, as usual, was performed to a smallish audience in the bare Rehearsal Room at the West Australian Ballet Centre. The power balance changes when you’re watching dancers in a confined space; instead of you doing all the looking, as happens with a proscenium stage, dancers collude eye to eye with you. Close up, you get more of a sense of their agency in the choreographic process – how their bodies enhance a concept. This is a buzz. There’s some scintillating skill from the dancers, a focus on rhythm and energy, triggered by an interplay of tension, great music and dramatic lighting. The budding choreographers show real potential, so next try they should throw caution to the wind and shock us with something truly innovative.

Mayume Noguromi and Keigo Muto in Robert Bruist’s Polarity. Photograph © Frances Andrijich 

Ten of the 12 short...