Unveiling Shadows | Joshua Taliani

Image: Georgia Haupt

I think it is only honest to begin by saying it often makes me nervous when I see a work advertised as being “a marginalised creative’s exploration of their own trauma and story of survival”. You might think this is because I find that sort of storytelling to be overdone, but my hesitation comes from a different source.

I often find the dramaturgies of these works exploitative in that they take too much from the creative who makes and performs them. I often watch as the inner workings of the worst moments of a stranger’s – or even a friend’s – life are laid out before me in painstakingly explicit detail. I often feel these witnessed purges – so to speak – operate as part of a social dynamic similar to that of neighbours emerging onto the street or the slowness of passing cars during a house fire. The onlooker cares about the tragedy in front of them, of course, and wants to know more due to that compassion, but often something more insidious and selfish simmers beneath that curiosity. I find this particularly true when we are discussing the suffering of marginalised folks, especially if that suffering can be somehow framed as a consequence of their identity.

Luckily for me, Queer First Nations-Italian artist, Joshua Taliani’s debut solo-work, Unveiling Shadows has made sure to avoid this exact dynamic. This one-man dance work explores Taliani’s survival, self-discovery, and healing through the languages of that have influenced both him and his work. He expertly leads the audience on a journey through krump, bounce, and other hip-hop or street styles; vogue femme and hands performance; and the intersection of these styles with his contemporary dance background as well as his First Nations cultural practises. I use expertly here in the senses that he is (1) a phenomenal technician of all these styles, (2) an exceedingly evocative storyteller, and (3) the master of the world this work takes place in – even if it does take him most of the work to realise that particular power.

Unveiling Shadows is not the sort of work that can be described all that much beyond this without spoilers or digressing into elaborate recount, and so I apologise if I have been vague. However, there is an audience moment I simply must immortalise here. As a number of you may know, Taliani is Father of Magandjin’s Trailblazing Ballroom House, The House of Alexander. I noticed upon entering the New Benner theatre that the international judges for this year’s Alexander Ball – Overall Godfather Icon Javier Saint Morta 007, Icon International Mother Toni Louboutin 007, and Legendary Pandora 007 – and a number of members of the House of Alexander were also in the audience. I tell you this because the shift in audience energy when the vogue sequence of this work began was palpable and a true delight. The hooting, hollering, shouting, squealing, screaming in joy, admiration, and love that occurred over those minutes was such a gorgeous of reflection of the exact support and transformation Taliani sought to capture.

Image: Georgia Haupt

In furthering my commitment to being to be honest with you here, I must also admit the dynamics I spoke about at the beginning of this review are ones I have seen play out almost exclusively in works of theatre – more broadly, works wherein creatives utilise the spoken word. I find that the commitment to dance as a form allows a layer of abstraction to keep the audience from coming too close to the more tender parts of Taliani’s history, which I find glorious. It might seem a bit naff to say, “I liked it because the dancer stuck to dancing”, but what the lack of text does here is build an emotional safety mechanism into the fabric of Unveiling Shadows. Taliani goes to these dark places – and we get to see and feel the effects of those wounds – but not at the cost of disclosure. This also means that whatever healing process is potentially at the centre of this work is for Taliani alone.

The white cishet onlooker doesn’t get to see the fullness of Taliani’s pain up close and use it to reinforce their internalised narratives about white cisheteropatriarchy, nor do they get to see his healing in full and use it to reinforce their image of themselves as “good allies”. This, again, is glorious and an enormous feat of dramaturgical savvy for a debut work – but did we really expect anything else from Father Alexander given his track record?

In seriousness, I do think the sheer impressiveness of this work is also testament to the prowess of Taliani’s collaborator, Wanida Serce and the strength of their creative relationship. I reviewed Serce’s dance collective, Pink Matter’s Betwixt in 2022, and I recall showering it with similar praise given it does quite similar things with regard to structure and content. Taliani was actually a part of Betwixt and it’s wonderful to see how his, Serce’s, and their combined crafts have evolved in the time since that production.

All-in-all Unveiling Shadows is a much brighter work than the name might suggest. Taliani – and we, the audience – begin in near darkness, and slowly but surely make our way into the light. But make no mistake, it is not the artificial light of a neatly tied off narrative that relegates pain as only existing in the past. Instead, it is the warm embracing light of a real, messy, ongoing life that is full of life and full of love.

Unveiling Shadows played 10-13 September 2025 at Metro Arts as part of the 2025 Brisbane Festival.

Image: Georgia Haupt