Forklift

It's a scene that's played out in factories all across Australia every day... a nondescript worker arrives wearing a bright yellow safety vest, carrying their lunch in an esky, before popping a coffee into the microwave and playing a few rounds of cards with one of the blokes.

What happens next in KAGE's stunning dance/physical theatre work, Forklift is most definitely not from the everyday. Nicci Wilks drives a fairly impressive looking forklift into the performance space, carrying Henna Kaikula and Amy McPherson.

Over the course of the next hour, the trio reclaim the “factory floor” through a thrilling blend of controlled movement and acrobatics. There are times when the audience holds its collective breath as the dancers, Kaikula in particular, are elevated to great heights to perform on the forklift's two prongs.

Though not normally thought of as a piece of machinery that's graceful and lithe, the forklift here almost counts as another dancer, effortlessly pirouetting around the industrial space.

There are several moments when it feels like the forklift is being shown off simply because it is there, but these are offset by the clever use of the machine as the centrepiece of the show; the way things like the beeping we all recognise as the vehicle reversing have been incorporated into the piece's score; and the use of the fluorescent safety-wear to add colour to the space.

Carriageworks (finished)