Never underestimate your parents. That was the message I took away from the opening of Meryl Tankard's INUK2 dance work.

In town for a Country Women's Association conference, I invited my dear Mum along to INUK2 on the off chance that she might find the night mildly amusing. Contemporary dance is not her usual entertainment milieu. Living in the country, her experience of the art form doesn't extend very much beyond Dancing With The Stars (though she and Dad can do a pretty mean Fox Trot if the occasion demands).

Tankard is internationally renowned as one of Australia's leading dance choreographers, and revels in breaking the rules - classical dance references are few and far between in her works. INUK2 explored the laconic Australian nature. Against an eerie vocal soundscape, the dancers tumbled and turned in a punishing series of emotive scenarios. There were rowdy pub brawls and scenes of domestic violence and petrol sniffing. The night was challenging on many levels, so you can imagine my surprise when it held my 68-year-old mother spellbound. She loved it.

So there you go. Contemporary dance and theatre is not just for the urban elite. 

by DAREN POPE

Details: www.sydneydancecompany.com

INUK2
Concept/Direction: Meryl Tankard
Scenic Design: Regis Lansac
Cast: Sydney Dance Company
Season finished