May I Please?
May I Please? in Short and Sweet Sydney 2014 Image by Scott Gallagher
Faced with the temptation of an endless supply of jellybeans, could you resist? “May I please?” is a contemporary dance solo and the first collaboration between Brazilian-born Mariana Paraizo and Brisbane-based Courtney Scheu. This work researches a dancer’s relationship with food and sweets, through a chain of jelly beans, a balletic movement language and delightful characterisation by Paraizo.
CHoreographer | Courtney Scheu
In collaboration with Performer | Mariana D’arruda Paraizo
Special thanks to Sarah Oxeham
Presented in Backbone 2High festival 2014 and Short and Sweet Sydney 2014
“‘May I Please ?‘choreographed by Courtney Scheu and wickedly performed by Mariana Paraizo was a wonderful short piece but a diabetic’s nightmare about a dancers obsession with a seemingly endless supply of jellybeans. Curved,small, repeated phrases of movement were used . At one point the huge pile of jellybeans become a pillow, at another Paraizo makes ‘snow angels’ with them. At times Paraziao ‘s movement was almost robotic but this was countered with a balletic Sugar-plum like fury and she sizzled with a glorious sweeping line.” Lynne Lancaster, Sydney Arts Guide 2014