MUSCLES fairly rippling under his second-skin costume, Paul Mercurio is deep in concentration.
    He moves around the stage engaged only in the dance, only in the fluid movement of his legs, arms and torso, which glisten with perspiration.
    The star of the smash-hit movie Strictly Ballroom is rehearsing Contact, his new show at the Universal Theatre in Fitzroy.
    The segment he rehearses on his own is called Dancing With I. It is a reflective solo piece performed only once before at the Sydney Opera House for the Sydney Dance Company.
    Strictly speaking, Mercurio doesn't do this seven-minute segment on his own. With him on stage are four life-size, black-and-white photographic cut-outs of himself in various expressions. The effect is startling.
    Australian Choreographic Ensemble general manager Catherine Beall says: "In this dance, you see all these remembrances - Paul at ballet class, Paul mucking around with his mates..."It is when you see him dance in his own space that you understand his choreography."

    Mercurio's contemporary choreography has always been of interest. He has produced outstanding works for the Sydney Dance Company, of which he is an 11-year veteran. They include Still Life, Duo For Two Boys, Two Men and One Woman and Cafe. The latter was presented in three successful theatrical seasons in Sydney and Melbourne as well as on ABC-TV.
    But that interest has been heightened enromously since Strictly Ballroom came out. The award-winning Australian production took the film world by storm last year and made Mercurio, 29, a star. Mercurio was prompted to form the ACE, which makes its Melbourne debut with Contact. Reviewers in Sydney, where it had a sell-out season, describe Contact as a raw, powerful and energetic dance theatre piece that is well worth seeing.
    There are three segments to Mercurio's new show. Apart from Dancing With I, there is Waiting, a lyrical abstract piece with five chairs and five dancers involved in discovering themselves and life.
    The main segment, however, is Contact, a one-hour, multi-media performance with original music and film, set to the sound of a crackling bonfire. Tracing the journey we make to "contact" ourselves, it is about a group of six people living in an environment full of conflict, competition and confrontation.
    Mercurio says: "Contact parallels my own struggle to find a voice for my work and the inner turmoil of breaking ties and going out in the world." "It's about group dynamics and confrontation. I'm not offering answers but I want audiences to be confronted with their relationships, emotions and feelings."