reviews

selection of reviews from previous solo shows create/ performed by Eliza Sanders & Directed by Charley Sanders for House of Sand.

“I approached without expectation and I left with a deeper appreciation of the power of the dancer to persuade and surprise. Sanders defies expectation and excites with the originality of her dance. Her work requires the commitment of an audience to engage with the image, evoke the emotions and arouse the intellect. If this occurs, Sanders’ work will offer a new experience in the lexicon of dance.”

- Canberra Critics Circle

Review: Pedal & Castles

Reviewed by Suzy Wrong, 24 Sept 2016
Suzy Goes See and Auditorium Mag (UK)

Pedal and Castles are a pairing of individual pieces that demonstrate the genius talent of Eliza Sanders, whose boundless exploration into performance and theatre creation deliver experiences that are full of joy, surprise and wonder. Amalgamating the clichéd triple threat of singing, dancing and acting, Sanders redefines the stage artist into a singular agent with capacities limited only by imagination. Her multi-disciplinary skills are showcased perfectly in both works, along with the most inventive approach to writing and choreography for a style of show that is striking for its effortless originality and distinctive sense of beauty.

These are not simply stories, but abstract expressions that find a purpose in time without the reliance on logic and narrative. In tandem with sister Charley Sanders’ direction, the siblings’ ability to move us, to cease our attention and connect with our emotions, without the use of anything remotely formulaic or conventional, is evidence that a purity of intention and an instinctive acuity are at play here.

Eliza Sanders’ physical presence is that of a dancer’s, all discipline and agility, but her personality refuses to be subservient, the combination of which results in a powerful state of being that puts on stage, the very vibrancy of life itself. Without the distraction of reason, we are in direct contact with a living, breathing and in this case, enthralling, organism, whose various representations of our complex existence, draw us into a state of sharing, listening and acknowledgement, that seems to make life that much more meaningful. Observing Sanders is to be at one with nature, and the resonance she provides, is akin to the excitement one receives when enraptured in the vision of early spring’s blossoming flowers.

Where there is no need to ask why, we abandon the past and the future, to stay firmly in the now. Eliza and Charley Sanders are important artists who give us an alternate view of the world. Knowledge and experience are limitless, and in art, we can find catalysts to help us grow. The language in Pedal and Castles is not a translatable version of the familiar, but a different course of communication for arriving at somewhere new. The danger of becoming small and narrow is ever-present, but when art does its job well, we are shown the way to emancipation, and we must take every step that leads us there.

“Eliza Sanders is simply brilliant in terms of dance, word, expression and performance.”

- the clotheslines

BWW Review: CASTLES Penetrates as Synaptic Synonymic Sensation Phantasm at Old 505 Theatre

Reviewed by Brodie Paparella
Broadway World

Pushing the boundaries of the performance art from is no easy task, and neither is adapting the quick-fire connective nature of the brain for the stage, and yet in House of Sands' Castles, Eliza Sanders accomplishes both, and more. In a work all at once intimate, quintessentially Australian, randomised and unbelievably funny, reviewing Castles is not a matter of attributing meaning, but asserting the importance of this inclusion in our arts landscape.

Today's Australian audience member, surrounded by intelligentsia and literati, has become ensnared in the question "what was that about?" to the point where enjoyment cannot be severed from understanding. However, relating and emoting are for more potent purposes for performance art such as this, which creates far more profound experiences for theatregoers than measuring a work by how "fun" it is. Granted Castles is incredibly fun to watch, for its apparent absurdity and pop-culture piss-takes, but these entertainments are inextricable from the sincere singing and poetry, and the fluid talent of the movement. Sanders is clearly a phenomenal dancer, writer, singer, mime, clown who has woven all skills together and expanded them between and beyond to create a replica of the human synapse. Electric, alliterative and sensual.

A swift applause for Jane Allan and Amy Oakes who along with Sanders created the costume and properties which distilled momentum and allowed for further stimulation and wild colours. Top job.

House of Sand is a family affair, with Charley Sanders taking the task of Director/Dramaturge in the performance, a process which I imagine took much intimate inquiry, and challenge to connect the dots of the stage content. Wondrous results, and congratulations to them both for a performance that may not at first glance ring with attraction. That being said, Castles is replete with humour, intelligence, contemporary themes, sex appeal and genuine human talent. It has the makings of a sell-out where Australian audiences can clue in past their ego of interpretation, or their instinct for basic entertainment, and seek true, unbridled experience.

It (Castles) is the artful histrionics of solo display. It is a platform for a big talent, a boundless imagination and an energy of force and confidence.

- Chris Janides, TheatreView

Castles - Reviewed by Emily Shaddick
Australian Stage

Eliza Sanders is the creator and solo performer in Pedal and she is extraordinary. It is like she is a direct conduit to an ancient and playful creative spirit. The performance is a patchwork of spoken word, dance, song and a plethora of sounds, all woven together with a thread of inspired genius. Using only a jumper and her body Sanders creates shapes that rattle your cerebellum. The script is more like a transcript of a word association game played by a group of unhinged friends driving back from Burning Man in Nevada.

Sanders performance refuses to give you anywhere to hang a breath of logic or narrative. The mind will at first desperately seek a place to anchor, it will fight to find a story, any kind of flow. But it is a fight it will never win. Pedal won’t even engage in discussion let alone a wrestling match with your wits and you will be left with your gloves dangling by your side and your mind wide open. Sanders herself repels definition. She does not write about her work and she is reluctant to return to the stage for an encore.

Sanders has a complete lack of guile as she moves between lucidity and lunacy and back again. This creates a canvas for the audience to come to terms with what they are seeing and hearing and create their own meaning and interpretations of the work. It is by no means an absence of personality or presence but more like an ability to weave herself into the work as an offering, another element for you to take as it is.

The staging and props for Pedal are minimum and they seem to be perfect for every moment yet have no meaning at all. Sanders costume acts like another layer of skin, albeit a more dynamic and transformative layer. The shapes she creates using her limbs and threads that are captivating and provocative.

Pedal is hard to explain, impossible to define and unlike anything you have seen before. It is a physically lyrical performance that is innovative, bold and truly spectacular. It should not be missed and Sanders performances should be sought out at every opportunity.