Eclectic dance program to put spring in step

A RETURN to the stage by Australian choreographer Gideon Obarzanek, a show starring one of the world's most exciting tap-dancers, and a duet between man and earthmover are among the diverse offerings at the second Spring Dance program to be presented by the Sydney Opera House in August and September.

The most spectacular production is Sutra, choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and featuring 17 Chinese warrior monks from the Shaolin Temple.

The funkiest appears to be Bare Soundz, starring the man hailed as America's greatest living tap-dancer, Savion Glover. It features no music, relying instead on the frenetic "foot music" created by the dreadlocked Glover, Marshall Davis jnr and Cartier Williams on three amplified wooden platforms.

The most unusual offering is Transports Exceptionnels, in which Philippe Priasso performs a surprisingly lyrical duet with an earthmover.

Other productions are Ngurru-milmarramiriw (Wrong Skin), created by Nigel Jamieson and featuring Elcho Island's Chooky Dancers; Asphalt, by Pierre Rigal; In Glass, a new work by Narelle Benjamin performed by Paul White and Kristina Chan; and Faker, choreographed and performed by Obarzanek.

Faker, Obarzanek's first foray on the stage in more than 15 years, is an intensely personal work that came out of a project with an unhappy ending a commission for a young dancer that fell apart.

"Every work that people see can be regarded as a success because it's on the stage, but some of the things we do don't make it to the stage. This is a solo about the solo that didn't get made," he says.

Obarzanek performs the dual roles of choreographer and questioning protege in the 45-minute piece, exploring the "delicate relationship between the choreographer and the dancer".

Spring Dance will run at the Sydney Opera House from August 31 to September 26.