‘Glass child’ is a label sometimes applied to siblings of people with special needs. It’s not a reference to fragility, as such; it’s more to do with the idea that they are often “looked through”, rendered transparent by their roles as helpers, translators and facilitators.

Tough and tender by turns, this two-hander created by Maitreyah and Kayah Guenther, throws out a challenge from a person with special needs and the sibling with whom his life is intertwined: Look at us, it says; engage with us; see us.

Kayah Guenther and Maitreyah Guenther in Glass Child. Photo supplied

Drawing on memories and archival video and made vivid with eruptions of choreographed dance, Glass Child is a portrait of the partnership of brother Kayah, who has Down Syndrome, and sister Maitreyah, who since childhood has looked out for Kayah, shielded him from playground bullies, and translated for him.

Both are vibrant performers. Kayah is an anarchic presence; part Enrique Iglesias fanboy, part bird-flipping antagonist. Maitreyah is thoughtful, softly spoken and physically powerful, a lighting quick mover. They make for an endlessly dynamic duo, especially...