Playful Sydney Troupe Struts Familiar Stuff

Buff Aussies may be universally acknowledged as archetypes of pulchritude, but ceding the UCLA dance series to them could be considered overkill. First came multiple incarnations of the rough / buff “Tap Dogs”; more recently, the buffer-than-thou Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre; and on Saturday, the state-of-the-buff Sydney Dance Company, an ensemble that on earlier tours introduced international audiences to perhaps the ultimate buff Aussie: Paul Mercurio, best known for the film “Strictly Ballroom” but legendary for his steam-bath solo in Sydney’s “After Venice.”

Formed in 1971 and since 1976 an embodiment of Graeme Murphy’s creative vision, the company specializes in high theatricality and the adaptation of ballet technique to contemporary themes and energy-states. No toe shoes, but plenty of classical steps along with modern-dance weight and angularity. Previous U.S. visits showcased Murphy’s talent for outrageous comedy plus his ability to evoke seductive moods and complex emotions--with European critics speaking enthusiastically of his most recent repertory.

Unfortunately, Royce Hall audiences saw only “Free Radicals,” a grandiose 1996 exercise that looked like a big-budget remake of “Stomp,” with 15 dancers wearing satin workout clothes and interacting with three onstage percussionists while every kind of smoke and lighting effect imaginable supplied an expensive garnish to the predictable 80 minutes of action. Yes, the dancing remained spectacular, but so many sequences ran out of ideas long before they finished that it’s hard to believe that Murphy’s choreography and Michael Askill’s music evolved simultaneously.

Among the major compensations: a playful body-slapping quartet for percussionists and dancers, an overextended but still dazzling duet in which Sally Wicks danced on the moving feet of Simon Turner (her soles atop his insteps) and just about anything featuring the effervescent Wakako Asano. Buffness? Seek no further. With Royce Hall fast becoming the marketplace for glistening, pumped up body-spectacle, the anything-but-free, anything-but-radical “Free Radicals” looked right at home.