Sometimes you’ve just got to get your ‘flex’ on
New Zealand Festival 2020
FLEXN; Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and Peter Sellars
Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua; February 24 Reviewed by Lyne Pringle
Te Ata Festival extends the reach of the New Zealand Festival of the Arts to the youth of Porirua with two weeks of workshops and performances. Its intent, part of guest curator Lemi Ponifasio’s vision, is to bring fresh ideas, creativity and agency to the region.
Capping off a day of community events is FLEXN. This dance project is a collaboration between Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray, Peter Sellars and members of the Flex community.
Flex is a form of street dance that has evolved from the Jamaican bruk-up found in dance halls and reggae clubs in Brooklyn, New York.
To a pumped-up crowd, a crew of 14 dancers casually enter and begin warming up on a raised stage in Porirua’s Te Rauparaha Arena. The backdrop is a series of fluorescent tubes set at various angles.
From the initial power and energy of unison dancing the work meanders through a series of solos and duets, interspersed with larger group sequences. Some of the solos are exceptional.
Billed as ‘‘part-protest, part-dance party, part-collective autobiography’’, the overarching theme is a cry against injustice and racism in the United States.
Anger and heartbreak are expressed as the lyrics of songs are mimed out. This activist-dance form has become an important vehicle for the Black Lives Matter movement.
As Peter, one of the company, says: ‘‘If you’re a young African-American trying to survive, you’ve got to be able to flex, morph, change – be creative with your identity.’’
The physical vernacular of the work is ‘‘flexing’’ or ‘‘bone-breaking’’, pausing, get low, gliding, connecting, hat tricks and punchline – a spectacular feat to end a set.
A characteristic move is the linking and interweaving of arms behind the back in a way that appears to dislocate the shoulders. These gestures are repeated over and over again. After a while, the limited vocabulary begins to pall.
There are many appreciative cheers from the audience, especially with the bone-breaking moves. The evening concludes with a boisterous dance battle, where local breakers and dancers are invited up onto the stage.