Dance evolution was in full force as the Australian Calisthenics Theatre Company performed their second major installment, Mother Nature, at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Friday night.

If ACTC’s first performance A Symphony was a triumph, Mother Nature was a coming-of-age. Founded to create a bridge between Calisthenics and commercial performance opportunities, ACTC expanded it’s company for Mother Nature, welcoming elite calisthenic dancers from Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia in a night of colour, awe and power.

Set in a classic two-Act, six-Scene structure, we were taken through the elements of earth, fire, water, wind, light and sun as metaphors for the human condition. Mother Nature, AKA Sophie Hamden, and her ’emoticons’ of ‘desolate’, ‘doubt’, ‘desire’ ‘fury’ and more carried viewers through a cycle of growth, inner conflict, hope and resolution.

Showcasing the versatility and athleticism of the dancers, the show was opened with Earth, a mixture of contemporary dance and calisthenics rods, grounded and tribal-like in its choreography. Fire had a distinct jazz flavour, bringing an upbeat energy with recognisable classics such as Fever and Le Jazz Hot, which was just the beginning of a number of ‘Calisthenics classics’ used throughout the show. A particularly long scene, Fire finished with gossamer wings lit up in fiery colours creating a mass effect that could be appreciated from every angle, sadly lasting only a moment.

Wind was a personal favourite, with songs such as Thunderstruck (a nod to the declaration that calisthenics performers can do anything, take note DC Cheerleaders), Into the Unknown and Defying Gravity. The climactic ‘high F5’ note was ably performed by incredible singer Chloe Castledine who has a remarkable talent for sonically impersonating most of the artists she is covering, making you feel as though you are hearing the original artist. And original artist she is, with David Goodwin and Castledine composing many original scores in this unique performance.

Water took us through the descent and Light the rise of any good narrative. Whilst all of the musical choices perfectly matched the unique vibrance of each scene, Water songs like Cry Me a River and November Rain washed sadness over the expansive stage, set, and audience bringing a change in tempo. Light was a visual spectacle, with glowing calisthenics clubs swinging and light-up tutus twirling, with audiences lighting up their phone torches and flower crowns, joining the performance. Like water flowing through it’s natural courses, dancers filled the aisles of the auditorium, immersing us further in the experience. The show concluded with Sun, who was mesmerising in her stature and symbolism, basking in the glow of dancers returning in costumes from previous scenes.

The youth performance cast showcased the depth of elite athletes we have in the uniquely Australian sport of Calisthenics, who in Mother Nature most often performed upstage in unison while action flowed downstage, two streams joining into a massive centre stage. Such was the constant movement and action of the entire piece, at times it reminded me of a time-lapse.

The David Attenborough-like narration of each scene drew the audience into the story, dancers enunciating every word with arching backs, sustained kicks and flying leaps of unbelievable height, over and over again. From almost any angle you had a vantage point of elite, athletic dancers. Whilst calisthenics is most known for it’s precision of movement, there was a departure from this at times, with dancers seemingly given freedom of movement, in timing and even of hairstyle, which reminded me of nature’s patterns – beauty in the variations and in the consistencies.

At times I was so immersed in a performance that never let up, I would momentarily forget I was witnessing something of sustained excellence. The eye was constantly drawn to a new gravity-defying feat and I would remember that this is probably one of the largest assemblies of out-of-this-world dancers we have seen. Every dancer was one capable of 180-degree plus extensions and repeated acrobatics performed with grace – any one of these dancers would be at home as a member of an Australian Dance Theatre or a Sydney Dance Company.

The Cast band and orchestra sounded incredible despite being hidden further upstage than in A Symphony, where they shared the same stage as the rest of the performers. I agree with the littlest cast member Imogen Burns, who at the VIP Pre-show told us that we will not only hear the music, we would feel it too. The powerful vocals of Ten Tenor JD Smith also brought the quality of the overall performance into focus; his rich resonance reaching the far corners of the Entertainment Centre, stopping you in your tracks to remember you were indeed witnessing something spectacular.

The costumes by Louise Hamilton and co were exquisite. Fire was engulfed in hundreds of strips of red and gold material, Earth was a goddess of gold. Water’s asymmetrical design had a tiered over-the-shoulder tulle that formed a wave with her bending body. The design of Wind’s costume was somehow weightless and Light’s made use of a reflective foil material. Sun’s costume was arguably the most significant feature of scene six, dancer Sammi Hiern remaining at a fixed point in the scene, possibly to represent the literal sun around which everything else moves. I may have been imagining it, but Mother Nature’s costume seemed to grow and bloom with each re-appearance on the stage, it’s voluminous skirt made by hundreds of gems adorned with leaves and flowers of different textures, the bodice shaped by green leaf-like gems. The costumes were striking from a distance, but up close, the detail was to be seen to be believed.

The Australian Calisthenics Theatre Company continues to showcase that calisthenics performers are not just ‘cali girls’ – they are athletes and dancers. They can tap dance, they can sing, and they can captivate an audience for 2 hours. The voice of Ayanna Burgan-Minniecon again rang out with ease and fervour, these experiences just the beginning of what will surely be a career in musical theatre for her.

The emotions viewers experienced from the forces of Mother Nature on Friday were no doubt inspired by ACTC’s initial brave decision to conceive itself and then go on a journey filled with doubts, purpose, storms, choices and success. And this is why ACTC’s Mother Nature was a metamorphosis of something even stronger than before.

Feeling all the feels of FOMO? Never fear, Mother Nature will be reprised in Melbourne later this year, mark your diary with the 5th of December!

My writing is completely free of AI assistance.

All image credits go to the Australian Calisthenics Theatre Company.