I love a good duo.

As part of the Kia Mau festival, Gates to Memory is presented by Ella Williams and Stela Dara, a performance duo who have choreographed themselves into a sensory movement experience that feels as ethereal as it does intimate. For almost an hour straight, the pair dances, contorts and weaves their bodies in ways that consistently wow the audience.

The stage is quite bare physically, allowing space for the performers’ movement to really shine and fill up the space. Instead of props and set, the key driver of stagecraft here is the lighting designed by Elekis Poblete Teirney. There’s so much lighting magic that goes into this show that I dare not spoil the more enchanting elements. One instance right at the start is a simple, calculated swing of a lightbulb that casts the shadow of a fast-moving clock. Immediately we’re transported into a stream of time as the performers ready for their pieces. There are just so many clever moments like this, where the lighting alone tells part of the story without the need for elaborate tech. It’s a pleasure to have your eyes directed by their techniques.

The music, brought by Jeanelle Frontin and Kevin Licorish, is immersive and, when paired with the lighting, plunges the audience into the Gates of Memory. I caught myself drifting forward in my seat multiple times as the soundscaping pulled me in deeper. The sounds are visceral at times, and expertly timed. Bones crack. The audience feels it. It’s easy to get lost in the audiovisuals without even taking into account the performers on-stage.

Who, by the way, are excellent.

Not a word is uttered by Ella Williams and Stela Dara throughout the show. They both look so comfortable on-stage and carve out their own unique identities despite their seemingly mirrored performance. Stela feels like more of a free spirit, roaming the stage and contorting into almost inhuman shapes. Her hair flows wildly and catches the light in beautiful ways that add to her movement. Ella, on the other hand, feels like the more stoic and controlled half of the duo, with her movements feeling captivating and purposeful. Her strength and power feel large and decisive, like a cosmic force that anchors the movement around her. Together, they feel like the perfect balance at all times, especially as their movements start to influence each other. Stela‘s wild skips are reined in by a firm hand. Ella‘s hood feels restrictive at first, but then drops to release her hair to match Stela.

The audience holds their breath the whole show.

An hour flies by. These two are simply masters of intensity, knowing when to accelerate their push and pull, and when to hit the brakes. Sometimes, they’ll switch energies into something completely unexpected, but they’re always looking like they’re relishing their stage time. A cheeky smile here and there goes a long way, and gives the audience comfort that this is art to be enjoyed, even if it can be deeply impactful at times.

Which brings us to what this show is really about. A lot of it feels like it’s been left to the audience to interpret and the lack of verbal cues make it difficult to specify the key intentions within the show. Since I go into shows as blind to the concept as possible, my thoughts ran rampant with possible explanations for what I was seeing. You could just as easily leave the theatre thinking that the meaning was about the flawed dichotomy of order and discipline, as you could going home thinking ‘yo, those dances were sick’. With a title like Gates to Memory, there’s a level of vignette to be expected here, with each separate dance feeling like a separate story. I’m not sure. At times, I was a little lost, which felt like the point. These weren’t my memories.

This art doesn’t belong to me.

I recognise that might not be the most satisfying of answers, but I do believe that there are many interpretations to be gleaned from this work. Whatever take you may have is more a reflection on yourself than it is on the art. My personal evaluation is that the key message was about intimacy, and the small but meaningful sacrifices you have to make to get the most out of it. The way Ella and Stela both allowed themselves to take on part of each others’ movement felt like a compromise to allow themselves to get closer. It worked.

Shows like Gates to Memory are an invitation into another world; one where you’re not expected to understand everything, but instead allow yourself to take what you want emotionally. Through a series of beautifully choreographed movements and set design, Ella Williams and Stela Dara provide the framework for your own self-reflections and allow you to examine your own relationship with your memories by offering a glimpse of their own. Once the show is over, they mention that this is their first collaboration. I hope that implies there’s more to come from them.

I hope they end up making more memories.

Disclosure: As a somewhat active member of the Wellington performing arts community, I may be quite familiar with a number of the performers in this show. Having said that, I am not a liar, and there is zero bias in my reviews, shut up.

Also, tickets were provided to me for free by the production. Literally changes nothing, though.