Haunting.
Silence with use of sign language, the emotions a child is able to express, as if Sia’s own barren heart is being channeled thru her muse, a very young dancer named Maddie Ziegler.
Adult hands pierce thru the darkness, gripping the child.
Fear.
The little girl’s vulnerability on display. The audience sees just how child-like a mother’s heart is.
Themes of abuse.
The girl strokes her throat, signifying she’s drowning. Driven, she screams silently, crying out for someone to step in and do something.
Provocative.
A bold use of performance art, the audience, staring thru glass glowing screens, watch in horror, unable to do anything.
Drowning. Choked.
A strong gust blows thru her hair, a Sia wig reminding us, hopefully assuringly, how artificial this all is.
Chaos. Confusion.
The girl spins, almost like a scene from the movie Vertigo by film director Alfred Hitchcock. Her ears are stretched. Her vision obscured. The fingers stretch like cat whiskers or fish gills. The girl is lifted off camera, her feet dangling in struggle, suggesting she is being strangled by the invisible hands guiding her.
Abuse.
Big girls cry when their hearts break. Maddie now looks in awe, having survived the ordeal.
God is silent…
The Verse Universe 