★★★★★
When Stephanie Laing dances, her face transforms and, through her, we the audience are transformed as well.
I can’t dance. I feel uncomfortable in my body and overly self conscious and I often struggle with one of Rudder’s main themes: the separation of the body and the mind. Perhaps for this reason, I found this show to be both beautiful and cathartic. Laing’s reclamation of her body, through the mediums of contemporary dance, story telling, and autistic emotional aid bear drawings was heartfelt, powerful and very, very funny.
Laing presents five dances in Rudder and has found a perfect balance between explanation and practice. As someone who knows very little about dance, I felt as if I was given just enough to connect emotionally with the pieces without the performance turning into a lecture. We are invited into this world through her experience and this allows us to laugh with the dances, as opposed to at them.
In these moments, Laing’s passion and earnestness create something special as she has found a unique way to share her joy.
As a content warning, Rudder references sexual assault. Laing explores this subject with a naked honesty and nuance that I found refreshing and affecting. This is a small part of the show whilst simultaneously being the whole show and, even though, Rudder ends in an uplifting crescendo of reclamation, the show provides a lot to discuss and so I would recommend seeing it when you have space to reflect on it, as opposed to squeezed in between shows in a typical fringe schedule. This is a show you want to be present for as it is the kind of show you will be thinking about for years to come.
Stephanie Laing: Rudder is on at Underbelly, George Square until August 25th
