Launch Pad
Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Art
February 2012

By Belinda Adams.

It is intriguing that so many people rush to see the latest international or interstate shows when they arrive in Brisbane, but little do the theatre going public know of the talent that exists in our very own backyard.

In a small performance studio in the Judith Wright Centre, Expressions Dance Company performed Launch Pad 2012. Featuring the work of local choreographers and dancers in an intimate setting, Launch Pad was nothing short of exquisite. They were able to create an environment that rivaled any large scale production with some simple prop changes and clever use of lighting.

The dance itself was raw, complex and brilliantly executed. Each of the choreographers had a chance to speak with the audience and tell the story of where their choreography began and how the idea evolved. This created a very personal experience for the audience and gave us an insight into the choreographers’ processes.

Gareth Belling, a Queensland Ballet dancer and choreographer created two works for Launch Pad. The first was From Darkness, a duet performed by Riannon McLean and David Williams that blurred the distinction between victim and offender. Watching this piece the dancers had you experience what they were feeling as they drew you into their story with raw movement and ultimate belief in their characters. The second Say Something, a piece performed by QUT dance students, explored the dynamic of broad based acceptance at the expense of personal opinion. This piece was energetic and fast paced with very contrasting choreographic choices. Overall, Gareth succeeded in creating wonderfully eloquent work for such a young choreographer. He certainly has a bright future ahead.

Bloodlust, by Claire Marshall was inspired by the movie Single White Female to start and further explored toxic friendships. Samantha Mitchell and Michelle Barnett performed this piece with total commitment and conviction. Both are very talented dancers who bought this rigid, intense piece to life.

The final performance was Crush by Lisa Wilson, performed by Elise May and Jack Ziesing. This was a debut showing for Wilson with EDC and she certainly delivered an amazing creation. Crush, portrayed the dancers struggle with panic and its contrasting manifestations of restraint and immobility. With the skillful use of varied LED light sources, Elise and Jack presented this piece with maturity and one hundred percent commitment to their personas. Elise is a striking dancer with a clear talent and skill for this demanding art form. This was an edge of your seat piece that had you breathless from start to finish. I can’t wait to see Lisa Wilson’s current work in progress entitled Lake. She is a transpiring choreographer who has a gift for creating quality work with a unique essence.

Launch Pad 2012, represents the true core of dance and perfectly showcases the talent that exists in Brisbane. This performance embodies what dance truly is – raw, powerful and honest.

Photo: EDC’s Jack Ziesing and Riannon McLean. Photo by Fiona Cullen.
Published by Dance Informa dance magazine – everything dance in Australia – dance news, dance auditions & dance events.

Australian Dance Theatre is getting ready to present the world premiere of their new work, Proximity as part of Adelaide Festival this month. Choreographer and ADT Artistic Director Garry Stewart has worked with Paris-based video engineer Thomas Pachoud (with the support of didascalie.net) to create an astonishing dialogue for dance and real-time video manipulation.

Here Garry Stewart talks with Dance Informa about the creation of this exciting new work.

What research did you undertake to develop the work?

My reading has been centred on aspects of neuroscience as well as philosophy of the self and technology within performance.

Professor Ian Gibbins from the Flinders Medical Centre came into ADT to speak to us about aspects of neurobiology, particularly in relation to neurological body mapping and the function of the nervous system in perception. He subsequently invited us to examine preserved cadavers in his laboratory at Flinders Medical Centre. Some of the dancers and I also attended a lecture by Baroness Susan Greenfield on the neurobiology of creativity.

What is the idea behind Proximity?

To a degree Proximity is the convergence point between conceptual concerns rising out of two of my previous works: Held and Be Your Self. Aesthetically both of these works are wildly different from each other, yet in Proximity I have created a nexus between the intellectual parameters of the two. Like Held, Proximity involves the instantaneous reproduction of the live dancing body, but instead of through the media of digital photography, in Proximity it is achieved via video technology.  The dancers train video cameras on each other and this data is immediately transformed through the ingenious work of video engineer Thomas Pachoud. The imagery is projected immediately onto a series of large scale screens, constituting an instantaneous dialogue for digital imagery and the live dancing body. The interaction between the virtual and the real is the cornerstone of Proximity.

Photos © Chris Herzfeld - Camlight Productions

Moreover, Proximity is informed by philosophical considerations of selfhood – its underlying plurality and fluidity – as well as ideas from neuroscience on the process by which the body neurologically interacts with the world around it. Proximity renders visible our invisible connections between each other and the environment we inhabit whilst simultaneously splitting open the self to reflect upon its manifold and heterogenous nature.

In Proximity the subject of selfhood is considered from the position that we are subjects located within our own bodies, but through the doppelganger of video imagery we can see ourselves from the outside and at a distance. Proximity addresses perception and ways of seeing. The act of seeing is conditioned and trained. What our brain chooses to see from the limitless panorama of external stimuli around us constitutes a form of trained blindness. In Proximity the cameras are utilised as a tool to radically shift the frame through which we routinely and habitually engage in the perception of ourselves and each other. The body is re-presented in ways that release it into alternate visual and morphological possibilities.

Tell us about the soundtrack.

The sound score is being composed by Sydney based composer Hugh Benjamin. Hugh used to be a drummer in the 80s and 90s and played for Yothu Yindi, Debra Conway, Kate Cerebrano and many other artists. He has composed music for works I have made for Ballet Du Rhin and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Recently he composed the score for the ADT work Worldhood. The music is quite different to my other works which have been at times quite brutal and bombastic. The music for Proximity is much finer and detailed, soft electronica almost like a series of ambience sonic states rather than hard, beats driven music.

How have you found working with Thomas Pachoud?

I first met Thomas early last year when I was making a version of The Rite of Spring for the Ballet Du Rhin in France. Our collaboration together on this work formed the cornerstone of the video ideas we have pursued and evolved in Proximity. Thomas considers himself a video engineer not a video artist. He enjoys collaborating with artists and responding technically to their artistic ideas.

Thomas’ work is perfectly aligned with the conceptual pursuits of this work. The materials of the body itself are used to stimulate the production of video effects that surround the image of the bodies or in some way manipulate and alter the morphology of the image of dancers. Thomas’ real time video effects become a beautiful visual metaphor for the subject matter which centres on opening up ideas about the nature of self and the invisible neurological connections that exist between ourselves and the world around us.

Do you plan to tour the work?

The plan is to tour the work internationally early in 2013.

Make sure you catch Proximity at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide from February 25 to March 3. Tickets can be bought at BASS online or by calling 131 246.

Photos: Chris Herzfeld – Camlight Productions

By Laura Di Orio

When a dancer steps down from the stage and “hangs up his or her shoes”, it doesn’t always mean an end to a dance-centered career. Many go on to teach, open a studio, direct a company, design costumes, and several choose the route of choreographer. Those who make the shift from dancer to choreographer may find a most freeing, creative outlet to express themselves. And a former life as a dancer just may make that transition smoother and richer.

Dance Informa hears from two established choreographers, both former professional dancers, on how and why they made the jump and what their life as choreographer provides them artistically.

Did you always know you wanted to choreograph? When did those desires begin to surface?

Edwaard Liang, freelance choreographer, USA
www.edwaardliang.com
I never had the thought or desire to choreograph. I had a one-track mind in terms of what I thought I wanted in my career. When I was dancing with Nederlands Dans Theater, I was urged to try my hand creating in their annual choreographic workshops. I had such a great time with the process. I had no clue what I was doing, but loved it.

Where are you along this transition from dancer to choreographer? Have you completely shifted?

Edwaard Liang
I have completely shifted from dancer to choreographer. I don’t feel sad about not performing, I think because I’m still a part of this world. I get to take class and feel like a dancer and move when I want to, but don’t have the same pressures I used to before to be perfect. I get to enjoy movement for movement’s sake. Plus, I never got the ‘juice’ or ‘high’ from performing, so it was not hard to leave.

What does your life as a choreographer offer you that life as a dancer has not?

Stephen Baynes, resident choreographer for The Australian Ballet, rehearsing Baynes's "Beyond Bach". Photo by James Braund

Stephen Baynes
As a choreographer, I have relinquished the challenge and fulfillment of performing but have been challenged and fulfilled in a different way by creating my own dances and seeing them interpreted by wonderful artists.

Edwaard Liang
My life as a choreographer has given me more freedom and input into what I want to say. Making ballets are like making mini movies. You get to decide the music, costumes and sets. You feel like you’re able to mould the whole package.

For dancers who want to either delve into choreography or who want to transition completely, what suggestions do you have?

Stephen Baynes
Be very sure that you really feel you have something to say. Try to get as much experience in making dance as you can. It is a very practical endeavour and needs constant practice, but that can be difficult. More than anything else, search for your own voice, which doesn’t always mean that you can be completely original, but at least it is uniquely yours.

Edwaard Liang's "Age of Innocence" performed by Fabrice Calmels and Victoria Jaiani. Photo by Herbert Migdoll

Edwaard Liang
Keep working and creating, whether it’s a big or small project. The only way to get deeper, better and do richer pieces of dance is to get in there and create. Try not to edit. Find your own voice. Enjoy the process and time. This profession is one of the hardest, physically and mentally, so try to find joy in some of the little things that happen. Don’t always wait for the big promotions to celebrate yourself.

What’s next for you as a choreographer?

Edwaard Liang
I finished presenting my work at Fall for Dance at City Center in New York. I am now starting my first full-length ballet – a new production of Romeo and Juliet for Tulsa Ballet and also new works for San Francisco Ballet, Washington Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and a project with Yuan Yuan Tan and myself.

Stephen Baynes
I am busy with commissions until the end of 2012, including a full-length Swan Lake for The Australian Ballet’s 50^th anniversary, and hopefully there will be more after that.

Top photo: Edwaard Liang rehearing with Victoria Jaiani. Photo courtesy of Edwaard Liang

More than a manipulation of the elements

By Emily Yewell Volin

Does choreographic creativity ooze out of you or are you petrified by the choreographic work required in your dance course?  Whether the urge to create naturally flows from you or you think of yourself as a performer and technician who does not need the required choreography class, you have more to gain by taking the class than you may think.  And, believe it or not, your teachers are fine with either attitude as you enter choreography class.  They just want you there.  Why?  Because there’s movement potential in you that must be explored.  Choreographic training will make you a better dancer and might even lead you toward an additional passion in the field.  Here are a few tips for getting the most out of those choreography classes.

• First and foremost, realise that most brilliant choreographers did not come by it naturally, they were trained.  Accept this. 
  
• Find inspiration.  Your life experiences ARE interesting.  Find new ways to look at them and create work based upon your reinterpretations.  You may be inspired to create linear works that tell a story, abstract works without a literal interpretation, or a mixture of both.  Spend time moving in silence or to music you find that triggers your creativity.  Discover how your body moves and what thoughts come to mind.  Be inspired by these realisations; they are your most honest creative desires.
  
• A choreographer’s job is to make the dancers you are working with look fantastic.  There are typically three strategies for choosing your cast members.  You can cast accomplished dancers, novice dancers, or a mixture of technical expertise.  Regardless, it is important to work with conscientious dancers and to take time to teach your choreography in detail.  The most expertly crafted work will fall flat if you have not clearly communicated your movement or if you find yourself working with dancers who either cannot or will not respond to direction.  A cast of dancers who ‘almost’ execute your intended movement and style will undoubtedly deflate the value of your work.  Be realistic about your cast members’ abilities, choreograph accordingly, and expect clarity. 
  
• Be true to your individuality.  Take a risk and share something of yourself.  You are inherently influenced by all movement, dance and otherwise, you have seen or danced in your life.   Embrace these influences on your way of moving.  Draw from them but do not be paralyzed by them.  Utilise the physical and aesthetic experiences to develop your own choreographic voice.  Inexperienced choreographers frequently develop phrase after choreographic phrase with little attention to developing a concise vocabulary or style for the piece.  Begin manipulating a few movement phrases and expand upon them.  Less is more at this point. If you find ‘filler’ steps in your work, cut them.  Choreography class work frequently involves the creation of several short choreographic studies. Create solid studies and you may find they form the basis for expanded works in the future.
  
• Find music that both speaks to you and is inextricably tied to the work.  Lyrics are fine, just realize you will be bound by them.  And, be aware that recognizable tunes and songs carry with them a litany of memories and preconceived notions for your audience.  Realise symphonic pieces are difficult to pair with a small cast of dancers and that sparse music is difficult to make work with a large cast.  Consider utilising some choreographic tools like syncopation and stillness in your work.  Rhythmic texture adds intensity to your work.
  
• Staging changes everything.  This is something you will learn in choreography class.  Devise a way to begin visualising what staging works.  Draw staging diagrams, move coins around on paper to represent dancers in the space; whatever works for you. Choreography class content includes a lot of tried and true staging information.  Implement these choreographic techniques and experiment with other ideas.  Our brains and eyes are accustomed to deciphering multiple stimuli at once.  Be intentional about the texture and staging of your work.  If your preferred aesthetic is stark, be true to it.  If you enjoy creating the decadent opulence of bodies in space; explore that.  Either way, be intentional and leave nothing to chance.
  
• Explore the creative capacity of your work in at least one other art form.  Write a poem, paint or draw, create a collage or a story board, journal, compose a jingle, read texts that relate to your ideas about the piece…the possibilities are endless.  Keep these inspirations near you throughout your choreographic process in order to create a portfolio of inspirations for the piece.  Share these creations or discoveries with your cast members.  Or, better yet, involve your cast in the creative process and be sure to share your inspirations. 
  
• Reflect and revise.  We all know how frustrating it is when you’ve spent hard found time setting and learning choreography only to return to the next rehearsal and learn that the director has major changes to the piece.  Expect this as part of the process.  Accomplished choreographers reflect and revise, and you should too.  It is often difficult to discern if something is going to work until it is seen in real time.  Invite your teacher to your rehearsals or provide a video for him/her to watch.  Listen to his/her impressions of the work and either implement their recommendations or request more discussion about the ideas. 

We all know that good choreography comes from the manipulation of the most basic elements of dance: time, space, and energy.  A choreography class will help you realize that well crafted choreography is much more than the simple orchestration of mechanical elements.  The best works embody the physical exploration of heart and honesty working in tandem with the splendid manipulation of time, space and energy.  Whether or not you continue to create after the completion of your choreography class, you’ll be a better performer, technician, teacher and artist as a result of the effortful journey.

By Regina Green

Melbourne’s Fringe Festival is now underway, and as always we are spoilt for choice. In the final week of the festival, freelance choreographer Melenie Crowe is presenting Duality, a double bill of contemporary dance. Last time Crowe brought a show to the Fringe (2006), she was the recipient of the Dance & Movement Award, so you can bet this one will be a show not to be missed. Here Melenie sheds light on her Fringe production.

How different are the two pieces in Duality?

They are vastly different! Gretchen’s Mind is about the private landscape of the mind and the inner turmoil and anguish experienced by an individual suffering from mental illness. Alternately, Evolution/Devolution is more based on an exploration of movement, shape and form.

What do you enjoy about working across such different genres?

For me it’s about the challenge of it all. I have a background in both theatre and dance and have worked across these genres for the last 15 years.

How long have you been working on this particular production?

I started looking for dancers in June and held two auditions; one at the end of June and one in July. We began rehearsing in August, so by the time we open in October I will have been working with the dancers for two months in the studio. I’ve been working by myself, in a preparation and producing role since the beginning of May. So that’s five months in total.

What has been one of the biggest challenges?

Finding the right type of dancers. George Balanchine was quoted once as saying, “I don’t want dancers who want to dance, I want dancers who have to.” I don’t want to work with anyone that is meek and will give nothing back in a rehearsal.

When were these works first performed?

Both works were first premiered at the National Theatre. Evolution/Devolution was presented in 2007 and Gretchen’s Mind in 2009.

Are they very different now than from their original versions?

The initial concepts have been presented before but have been substantially reworked with my current dancers. In Gretchen’s Mind I have been able to explore a much darker element to the work and have been able to direct the dancers and develop new material in most of the sections. Evolution/Devolution has been changed slightly, as the physical partnering sections have had to be re-worked. It was originally a 40 minute work and I have reduced it to 20 minutes for the season.

Who do you think Duality will appeal to?

Everyone in some way, as I have two vastly different works on the bill. Evolution/Devolution is a fast-paced, energetic explosion of movement to quite intense orchestral and electronic ambient soundscapes. It’s high energy, unlike Gretchen’s Mind, which kind of takes you on a journey with the protagonist. There are moments where I hope people will laugh out loud – and then there are the ‘David Lynch’ moments!

What do you hope to achieve with each work, and what do you hope the audience will take away?

In order to challenge myself, I aim to take on a different approach within each work – ranging from pure movement to narrative. With an adherence to pure choreography, my broad aim is to create new, innovative works, focusing on the fusion of theatrical styles to evoke a different dance expression. I’m hoping the audience will appreciate the strength and stamina required by the dancers to execute the movements. I want the audience to be with the dancers every step of the way and to be left feeling charged and maybe want to go out and dance!

You have worked a lot in London; how do you find the dance climate here as opposed to there?

London is a big place and therefore the audiences are larger. There is so much going on and so many people coming in and out of the country that you get this melting pot of artists with a vast range of experiences, which is great when you’re in a studio working alongside one another. Australia is still considered by many as being so far away from everything, but it’s good to see that is changing, although slowly, with higher levels of exporting and importing in dance happening these days. However, it was interesting to watch the hype and buzz having NDT here in Melbourne recently!  Dancers and choreographers soaked them up like a sponge and we certainly needed that. Being given the chance to meet Paul Lightfoot and talk with him while he was here just reminded me of our distance. In London, one night I went along to a triple bill at Sadler’s Wells and on the bill was Wayne McGregor’s Random Dance Company, and two of Shen Wei’s works. It cost me five pounds. You just can’t get that here!

What sorts of things inspire your work?

At the moment it’s the neo-noir style of David Lynch films – those moments that simply exist without having to scream it out loud and be obvious. That they can make you continue to think about them for days after is totally inspiring.

What advice can you give to budding choreographers?

Work with as many different people as you can, see as much dance as you can possibly afford and know that the dance community should be there to support one another.

Duality
Wednesday October 5 – Sunday October 9
Dancehouse
www.melbournefringe.com.au

By Grace Edwards

Adelaide-born contemporary dance artist Lisa Griffiths and New Zealand-born contemporary performing artist and guest teacher Craig Bary collaborate with multi-media designer Adam Synott in their long-awaited work, Side To One. This new work features as part of the Adelaide Festival Centre’s inSPACE program, to be held in late July. Dance Informa’s Grace Edwards discusses dance, friendship and the existence of soul mates with the choreographers.

Tell us about your work, Side To One

Lisa
The work is about two people destined to connect. Some people call this love or chemistry, and would call them soul mates. Side To One explores the vital human need for connection and is a true story inspired by our friendship and dancing together.

Do you believe in the concept of soul mates?

Craig
I do believe in connections that go deeper; I also believe you can have this connection with more than one person, but in different ways. With Lisa, I feel we have always been destined to come together in this creative way. We feel very much like family now too. We have an unspoken understanding of each other.

Lisa
I certainly believe in soul mates but they can come and go. In our case, Craig and I have had a long journey together.

How do you work together in the studio?

Lisa
We are peers who share a great deal of skill and experience, so when we choreograph, we sometimes create phrases separately in the studio before coming together to learn each other’s sections. Then together, we extend the material further. When making duet work we simply experiment and see where a movement idea may move us – sometimes into a dance lift, or one supporting the other suspended. We find these places by trusting and listening to each other, always keeping our connection and an awareness of each other’s bodies. If we fall, we fall together, again finding a new choreographic outcome.

Craig
We have also spent many a night with our heads near computer screens writing and rewriting concepts, ideas and grant applications, and refining what we discover in the studio. It has been a long and sporadic process of development spanning a few years. Each time we come back together we see what still inspires us and we develop those ideas, or throw them out and find new ones.

Many dance artists see choreography as a form of movement-based research.  How do you view choreographic practice?

Lisa
Choreography has no rules in regards to process, but it is always about using movement as a medium. I have learnt that it is important to question why you use a movement. You need to question your motivation and be honest about what you want to say. Then let go and trust your instinct.  

Craig
I think we take what we are and what we experience and put it into an art form that resonates with ourselves. For Lisa and me, that art form is dance, and also music and imagery.

How has the process of creating this work differed to that of other works?

Craig
I have made a few works now, but when we started this process this was my first work in development. As dancers both performing and creating our own work, the process is very exhausting but also extremely true and instinctive. It is not the same as looking into a work and seeing the whole picture and being able to manipulate it externally. You need to trust how it is feeling and how that will read to an audience.

Lisa
I have really been able to take risks in our partner work, as Craig and I have much experience and trust. Since the movements come from our own bodies, the process is not delayed by transferring the movement onto other dancers’ bodies. 

How difficult has it been juggling your time between choreography and performance as  independent artists?

Lisa
It has been tricky for both Craig and me to juggle work. As we are both still performers for other companies we have had to find time here and there to work. We have also had to keep in mind the availability of our collaborators and studio space. Side to One has only been made possible through our friendship, respect and patience for each other’s life and busy careers. I do, however, hope to create a new work next year with Craig dancing in it to experience the perspective of creating from outside the work.

Craig
It has been difficult to juggle our dance careers as well as make this work. I think that is why it has been a longer process than normal, but the experiences that we have outside of our work further serve to inform the work we make together. Side to One has gone through many transformations as we have grown as artists. It’s very rare to see a work take the time to develop like this and really grow alongside the artists. It will be interesting to see if an audience can feel this.

What inspires you to create and perform?

Craig
Both Lisa and I are inspired by artists and collaborators around us, and the simplicities and complexities of life. The ability to share with an audience that which I see and which affects me as a person and artist is what constantly drives me to dance and make work.

Lisa
I love the challenge of combining other mediums such as projection and set design to support the story and complement the dance. I think this comes from the fact that the people around me are gifted with particular skills and I feel compelled to utilise these.

Performing and creating is about sharing an experience. The older I become the more I want to understand people and why we behave the way we do. My art form keeps me physically active and hearing your heart beat whilst dancing makes you feel alive. My performances make me strive for perfection; it does not exist, of course, but in the process I feel I do become mentally stronger. Creating work keeps me questioning life; it keeps me switched on to what some people may find mundane but what I see as daily miracles and achievements.

Side to One will run from July 27th-30th at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Space Theatre.

Photos: Chris Herzfeld

State Theatre, Sydney    
June 24 2011

By Lynne Lancaster

From a touristy/ethnographic point of view alone this show is fascinating, giving us a glimpse of various Chinese dances we would normally never get the chance to see. At times eerie and mysterious, The Legend Of Shangri La is mostly bold, vibrant, noisy and colourful, with some hypnotic, powerful drumming in Act1 and lots of singing and folk dancing in lines by huge ensembles.

This show is the official opening production of ‘The Year of Chinese Culture in Australia’. Chinese superstar Yang Liping, the company’s artistic director, choreographer and principal dancer, was born in Yunan and wrote quite informatively in the bilingual programme about how she spent more than a year researching the folk dances and songs for the show.

The show opens with the rising of the sun and a creation legend, then takes us on a journey through various areas and climates of the province and on the way looks at some of the dances performed in various areas by different peoples of the province. We are taken from desert to snow in a stunning section called ‘ Pilgrimage’ that among other things features not only Tibetan Long Horns (unplayed) but some incredible Buddhist masks and costumes that are breathtaking. There is a ‘stomping dance’ where the dancers do exactly that in gender defined lines. For one dance we are solemnly informed in an English voice over that the dancers made the costumes themselves and it took a year to do so. The multicoloured, heavily embroidered costumes are superb as is the very effective lighting by Sun Tianwei.

In the ‘Tobacco Box Dance’ the dancers use boxes like castanets and become dragonflies, ants looking for food and other sculptural forms. In ‘Pilgrimage’ there is a wonderful section of rhythmic dance with long red ribbons /scarves. In other numbers the huge lines of colourfully exuberant dancers weave in and out, up and down or side to side, and split and form small groups and circles in huge waves of traditional folk dance movement, performed with precision and verve. At times parts are almost Priscilla Queen of the Desert like, at other times there are small almost break dancing solos or Michael Jackson like choreography. However, the stage is not at times quite big enough to hold the huge number of dancers in the various ensembles, with some of them spilling onto the side steps where necessary. This was quite awkward.

The drumming, especially in Act 1, is incredible. Hordes of boisterous young girls whip themselves into a ferment. There is a section for the young athletic men, acting wild and primitive with long hair and fabulous makeup, who use a giant sun-like disk shaped drum. There is an electrifying solo where the drum goes from a whisper to a tumultuous roar, then everything explodes in a frenzied orgy of energy. 

Yang Liping is featured in two dances. In the first half she performs a moon dance in silhouette, mermaid like with a long skirt emphasizing ‘The Feminine’. Choreographically it is full of rippling arms and at times you could see a Graham and possibly Ailey influence. She also spectacularly performs at the end of Act 2 with a ‘Spirit of the Peacock’ dance. Her almost impossibly articulated arms ripple, fly, whirl and become the head of a peacock. Ethereally beautiful, she has a proud, erect yet sinuously curved carriage of her body in this work. As in many romantic ‘white’ ballets (think Swan Lake, Giselle) she is later joined by an ostentation of other peacocks in stunning parade. There are some exciting, quite effective ultra-violet lighting effects here and a wonderful unexpected visual coup de theatre to close the show.

Overall, a fascinating glimpse of Chinese culture.

The Australian Ballet with Orchestra Victoria
Choreographer: Stephen Baynes

The State Theatre, Victorian Arts Centre
June 2011

By Tamara Searle

“He ne’er is crown’d
With immortality, who fears to follow
Where airy voices lead.”              
Keats

The Australian Ballet’s program Elegy is comprised of two meditative pieces, Requiem and Beyond Bach by Australian Ballet resident choreographer Stephen Baynes.  Both pieces pursue another-than-human world of spirit.  Requiem invokes voices from the afterlife and Beyond Bach explores the heavenward reach in pure classical form.   Baynes is in full control of the language of classical ballet; the illusion of effortlessness, the sublime lines, and dedication to musical scores.  It may at first seem strange that Australia has a master choreographer for classical ballet, until you consider that Baynes was a contemporary of Forsythe and Killian at Stuttgart Ballet early in his career.   

In Requiem Baynes explores through symbolism the impossibility of knowing more than our human condition. The piece takes its title from Faure’s Requiem which it is set to. The singers are integrated into the ballet by faintly lighting them on the outside of the set.  This is a lyrical and highly successful dramaturgical conceit, as the singers become the voices that the dancers can never quite see. Initially the audience are invited into a world of anonymous bodies. These bodies seek and turn restlessly. They are haunted by the voices they cannot see.   The figures gesture at life events and struggles. These events are framed by austere white walls, designed by Roberts and lit by Levings, which dissolve into blackness at the height of the proscenium. The performers are always seeking to know what is beyond these walls they are constrained within.  When not dancing they stand in tableaux with their heads cocked to listen to what goes on beyond the wall.  There are two pas de deux in which Kirsty Martin and Kevin Jackson, and Madeline Eastoe and Robert Curran fold into the music and each other in endless variations on the theme. Veteran of the ballet Marilyn Jones OBE performs the role of the omniscient mother, reminiscing on the lives of her children.  She could also be seen as a god figure as she intertwines and intervenes in the lives and movements of the dancers.

The maturity of Jones combined with the older principal dancers, the effervescent Eastoe, the solemn Curran and the supreme grace of Martin gave the Saturday night cast considerable gravitas. 

Beyond Bach is a reminiscence on the form of classical ballet, exploring the influence of Bach on the development of ballet in the courts of Louis XIV.  A lady in court attire sets the scene, gliding across the stage and disappearing enigmatically, before dancers in short tunics take off into athletic sequences of dance driven by the complexities of the Bach arrangements. Just as Bach and other art produced around the court of Louis XIV sought to represent the potential for transcendence through religion and the monarchy, each element of Beyond Bach draws our eyes and spirit upwards.  No more so than in the French court stage design by Carter. The candelabras lift up off the stage in the opening sequence, a huge gold staircase spirals up to the height of the stage and a floor to ceiling window at the rear all reinforce the motif of transcendence. It is a testament to Baynes that Beyond Bach is 15 years old. There are not many late 20^th century pieces of dance in repertoires by Australian choreographers. 

The program of Elegy had a notably shorter season, running for only a week, where a full-length narrative ballet may run for two or three weeks.  It is curious that programs of modern classical ballet such as these command less of an audience.  They are great works of art. 

Photo: Olivia Bell of the Australian Ballet in Beyond Bach. Photo: Branco Gaica

By Regina Green

Paul Malek must be one of Australia’s busiest dance professionals.  Just a week after presenting Stratagem, his latest work for his company, Collaboration – The Project, the tabs opened on iOverload, the latest work for his youth company, Project Y.

In 2009, Malek organised Immersed, a Dance Industry night held at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre, and plans are afoot for a second showcase, tentatively booked for this September. He also has his own dance school, Metropolitan Academy of Performing Arts, based in Seddon.

Between all this, he somehow finds the time to teach at Melbourne’s top studios, including The Edge Performer’s School, Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance and The Space. I told you he was busy!

What’s the most challenging part of what you do?
We, as a team, get together and create these performances on low budgets, so we wear a lot of hats. Instead of having the avenues to outsource assistance for things like graphic design, marketing and promotion etc, we have to do it ourselves. So there are many long hours and tired eyes getting through what we do, but when we get our desired result, it makes it all worthwhile.    

What gives you the greatest satisfaction?
The applause our performers receive after that first show, and then every consecutive show until we close – whether it’s 30 people or 500 people. The appreciation level from the audience, the relief and joy from our performers when they have succeeded in not only creating a dance work, but creating something that reaches out and makes the audience think about what they are witnessing. That is great satisfaction. 

How was Stratagem received?
It has been received wonderfully. It definitely makes the audience as a collective discuss quite in depth life, and the means to the end. This topic doesn’t always sit well with some people, so when that is the case, they instead focus on the performers. They watch in complete admiration of what the performers do with their bodies. The effort, commitment and true fearless attack to their work are something to be in awe of; I think that sums up most people’s reactions.  

What do you think has made Collaboration’s shows so strong?
I think the collective is very important – the group’s commitment to the show and the project. Everyone who comes in and works with us and creates with us feels that we are striving to make a difference, make something special and in turn continue to develop dance and the scene here in Melbourne. It is never about just one person, it is about the end result and what we then give the audiences to enjoy. 

A lot of your work features death as an idea or theme. What is the attraction to this theme?
I think death was always the unspoken aspect of my life. I couldn’t deal with the thought of it, and it has been frustrating- that endless question of ‘what is next’?

In saying that, it has never been a conscious decision to create works with a focus on death, except for Stratagem.  The focus is more on the experience of life, and because life ends in death, it as an element that features in our shows.

When you set out to create a work, what are you hoping to achieve?
A work that connects with the audience. Each individual is affected in different ways, and I want each audience member, whether they understand or not, to be activated mentally, and leave with not just the answers but also a few questions as well. 

In your opinion, what makes a great show, as opposed to a good show?
A show should take those watching it on a journey – whether literal or not – heightened with highs and lows, climaxes and resolutions. All avenues of the performance should also highlight each other: lighting, sound, choreography, and also the direction of the choreography and staging is very important. 

Which choreographers do you admire most?
Those choreographers who push the boundaries, who don’t necessarily follow trends, but create their own. Those who are true to themselves and their work. 

What are your goals with Project Y?
To give young artists the opportunity to expand their craft, whether that is with performances in Melbourne or interstate, with workshops or with rehearsal processes. To give as many people – who may or may not have future careers in dance – this chance to share in the production process, to go forward in their lives instilled with a love and passion for dance and performance. 

Are Project Y and Collaboration mutually beneficial? How do they work together?
They are. Collaboration is about giving Australian artists the opportunity to work together to produce works and perform on Australian shores. With Project Y already giving the opportunity to over 100 dancers since its inception, they are well on their way to achieving this. A lot of Project Y members also help out with Collaboration productions, giving them technical experience in the theatre as well. 

What is next on the horizon?
We have a couple of projects on the go including the full length production, Collection of Forgotten Treasures, which will be held over three weeks in November. 

Could you impart some advice to budding choreographers?
Just do it. Remember, dance may have expectations of what it should be, but that does not mean it is the way it has to be. Dance is movement, arranged in different formats, with differing dynamics, emotions and energies. The greatest choreographers of our time are those who, against critique, stuck true to their work, no matter how long it took for them to gain respect. Believe in yourself, and when someone tells you ‘no’, don’t dwell, take the comments and move forward. There is enough room in this world for everyone to create dance, so create, create, create. 

www.collaboration-project.com

By Dolce Fisher

Currently showing at Sydney Theatre, Shared Frequencies is a performance by Sydney Dance Company of two world premieres by renowned contemporary choreographers Rafael Bonachela and Jacopo Godani. Dance Informa’s Dolce Fisher spoke with the talented pair whilst they were developing their new works in Sydney, to get the scoop on the 2011 company, the choreographic process behind their creations and what we can expect.

Rafael Bonachela
How have the new company members been received so far?
Amazingly! There is nothing but praise for the dancers in every direction, from all the patrons of the company, the press and the audiences. We’d been in Brisbane and Melbourne and all the feedback was great. This is a contemporary dance company and the dancers are so highly technically skilled and trained – sublime really. To their credit they are very focused and committed and we are all here for the right reason and on the same page, because at the end of the day people pay to see us and they’ve got to get the best!

Tell us about your new work LANDforms, performed to a new score by Ezio Bosso
The dancers were really involved with the birth of the whole work from the very beginning. Earth was the first word I had, that’s huge, and then came lots of talks with musician Ezio Bosso. I showed him maps, books and hundreds of pictures of landscapes that all brought on lots of memories from the dancers and lots of thoughts, triggers and feelings. After ten days, with lots of things in the frying pan, we decided that LANDforms would be the title of the work. The dance would be the landscape and the music would be the weather elements.  It starts with the sunrise and ends in the night. It’s a journey but is pure dance and music inspired by the landscape. Ezio is playing live, which will enhance the whole work.

So how did the invitation for Jacopo Godani come about?
I had known about his career under Forsythe. The first time I saw his work was a piece that he did for the Royal Ballet in London. I was like ‘WOW’! But at that time I had never met him. I had heard about the work he was producing for Monte Carlo Ballet and his work that pushed the boundaries of ballet.  Bonachela Dance Company was performing the last season in the Venice Biennale and I was already here in Sydney. Jacopo saw the dancers and he thought they were amazing and wanted to work with them. I was so thrilled that he was excited about working with my dancers. I was able to return to Venice for a conference and then I finally meet Jacopo Godani. We just clicked because we come from the same generation of dancers; we know many of the same people. I thought it would be amazing for him to work with the company. He had never worked in Australia. He works for the best companies in the world so he has really pushed the dancers in a way they have never been pushed before. His work has attitude and a sexiness that I think Sydney will relate to.

Jacopo Godani
What is the inspiration for your new work that you have created for Sydney Dance Company?
It’s difficult to say because I didn’t come with a preconceived idea. I needed to get to know the dancers first and figure out what I could do. It is definitely a piece that is a lot about human evaluation; where we are at and how far we could go with our potential. It’s an abstract piece. When you have an opportunity to do an original piece I feel it must be entirely original. I have the freedom to develop something unique. I try not to relate to any pre existing concepts or ideas, but imagine that I am creating an abstract sculpture.

Basically the content is about humanity, not the population, but what it means to be human and analysing the human content to see how far it would lead you, not just in a biological sense.  We explore growing with the conscience of being something that can evolve and has a potential, which is rather unlimited speaking mentally and intellectually, not only physically.

So you are constantly challenging yourself?
I always want to challenge myself and the dancers. Every time you meet a new group of new dancers it is a new challenge. You have to find a new way to communicate with the people that relates deeply.

Where does your inspiration come from?
Everyday life!

From your initial idea for a piece how do you begin your process?
It’s always different. I really don’t have a system to tell you the truth. Sometimes I do collect a bunch of material and look into the subject I want to explore. Sometimes it can just be about the subject and then how I can spontaneously translate that into choreography. I don’t really have a system of working and I am glad that I don’t!  The interesting thing about being an artist is that you can just let it out.

So when did you feel that you wanted to become a choreographer?
I have always been choreographing since I started studying dance. It has always been important to me to be creating, not consciously, but just doing. Even before I was dancing I would like to draw, invent things or try to make myself productive, but as soon as I had the dance tool in my hands I started to use it. I choreographed bits and pieces and then moved on to short ballets. Then my work was integrated into the repertoire of the company where I was dancing. When I joined Forsythe’s company it was at a time where Billy was using material that was created by the dancers. We created some projects together and then I asked to create a piece for the company. He said ‘yes’, it was received well and I did a couple more pieces -  it just went from there.

You have had a broad career as a dancer and choreographer. What are career highlights have impacted you the most?
Definitely the experience of working with William Forsythe! I wonder sometimes where I would be if I had not worked with him. It has been the most important experience of my life. I will never look back with any regrets. It was great because we were doing everything; contemporary ballet to singing, dancing and choreography.  It was the deepest experience I could have with a dance company at that time. It was also a philosophical experience. I don’t think I am affected by what was developed or a style, but more a way of thinking.

Make sure you see both Bonachela and Godani’s work with Sydney Dance Company.

Shared Frequencies
March 29-April 16
Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay
www.sydneydancecompany.com