The struggle between freedom and entrapment are key themes in Woman in the Dunes, a new dance production by Shakti that fascinates and humbles.

Shakti is a regular contributor to the Adelaide arts community through her previous shows and now in the form as not only performer and choreographer but also as the Artistic Director of The Garage International. Her work is greatly influenced by a rare but interesting combination of Eastern and Indian dance traditions along with modern dance methods that has resulted in a rather interesting style. Her decades of work across multiple countries have led to her being referred to as the “Sculpture in Movement”. 

Her latest performance is an interesting affair. The show is based on the novel by Japanese writer Kobo Abe, which follows a Japanese school teacher trapped in a house surrounded by sand dunes with his daily existence focused on collecting water and trying to keep the sand out of the abode. It is a critique of some aspects of Japanese social behaviour and isolation. The themes of the book are clear in the performance as Shakti explores the topics of survival, love and death. It is an existential struggle to continue something that cannot be fought easily especially if the struggle is in fact, one’s self. Shakti muses on introspection and how the sand dunes are inside us all and are a physical representation of what stops us from achieving our goals. 

The performance is a three handed affair with contributions from Kumiko Takayama and Fumiko Inamori. All three are superb and eloquent in their movement. Along with a soundtrack by Steven Severin (of Siouxsie and the Banshees fame), they create a haunting atmosphere which appropriately reflects the themes of Abe’s novel. Woman in the Dunes is a fascinating piece of work which lives up to the quality of Shakti’s previous offerings.