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 Staged in a wrestling ring, Headlock promises to shove audiences hard up against the ropes. Lead dancer Byron Perry spoke to Garrett Bithell.
Melbourne physical theatre company Kage is renowned for creating intense, genre-busting performances – and Headlock is no exception.
Staged in a wrestling ring, Headlock is a bold examination of young, frustrated masculinity. It explores the relationship between three brothers – Dean, Mark and Shane Jackson – over the first 24 hours of Shane’s prison sentence.
“I would hope it shows that there are many ways to be a man,” dancer Byron Perry, who plays Shane, tells SX. “And that it changes, depending on your environment.
“These three brothers are incredibly aggressive and wild in some ways, but they’re also incredibly tender and genuine. You get an insight into what it is to be a man – the whole spectrum of manhood – and also the ‘boysie’ intimacy between brothers.”
Perry, along with Gerard Van Dyck and Luke Hockley, is set to wow audiences with a captivating marriage of two very different physical mediums – wrestling and dance.
“In terms of wrestling and dancing – it’s hard,” Perry says. “We wanted to stay as true as possible to the wrestling stuff and not make a ‘dancie’ version. So we learnt the skills very specifically, but then [director Kate Denborough] wanted them to look rough for the story.
“So we try and execute them in a way that they don’t look like tricks – otherwise it would become a bit of a circus-type presentation.
“But roughing them up makes it more dangerous for us because you’re not actually executing the skills correctly – so it’s pretty damaging!”
But the most demanding part of Headlock for Perry is actually being on stage for the entire duration of the performance.
“I’ve been in shows that have been this physical before, but normally you get a break mentally – you can go off stage even for just a minute or two,” he muses. “You can let it all drop for a moment. But staying connected the whole time is very demanding.”
Kage was formed from the visionary partnership of Denborough and Van Dyck, and made its performance debut back in 1997. Headlock writer David Denborough has worked with young men in prison to create a dynamic physical story told through movement and the raw athleticism of wrestling.
“Kage is one of the few companies I’ve worked with in Australia that tries to tell stories,” Perry, who has also featured in pieces by Chunky Move and Lucy Guerin, asserts. “Quite narrative-driven stories that use physicality to tell the story – and dancers instead of actors.”
Headlock by Kage, The Studio at Sydney Opera House. Thursday, May 22 to Saturday, May 24 at 8.15pm and Sunday, May 25 at 5pm. For bookings call (02) 9250 7777 or visit sydneyoperahouse.com.
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