By Linda Badger.

With an enviable career, Kristina Chan is one of Australia’s foremost independent dance artists. Having worked with so many of Australia’s most influential contemporary and classical companies and choreographers, Kristina won the Australian Dance Award for  Outstanding Female Dancer in 2009 for her work in Tanja Liedtke’s Construct. She has taught in many dance companies, universities, dance institutions and the like and is an artist to watch, and be inspired by.  Even after many years of a full career, Kristina is still at her peak as a dancer and collaborator, seemingly going from strength to strength with each project.

Dance Informa’s Linda Badger had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about her work and career.

You began serious dance study with full-time classical ballet. Was that the path you thought you wanted to take?

I started ballet at the age of three and then did a full-time classical ballet course in 1994 and 1995. I thought that I wanted to pursue classical ballet, but halfway into the course I discovered contemporary dance and found that it was more suited to me. I found it much more inspiring and engaging.

What have been the formative moments in your career?

Getting my first professional job with Australian Dance Theatre in 1999 probably kicked me into gear and was a big learning curve for me at the age of 19.

Working with Tanja Liedtke – her dedication and vigour was admirable and inspiring. I learnt a lot from working with her. (Kristina was one of the key dancers in Liedtke’s creative team, working closely with her as a dancer and a collaborator on both of Liedtke’s full length productions, Twelfth Floor and Construct.)

There have been many formative moments and hopefully more to come.

Where are you currently based and what are you working on?

I’m based in Sydney, however work takes me all over the place. I am currently in Singapore Airport waiting to board my flight to Budapest where I will be touring with Chunky Move.

Kristina Chan performs in ‘In Glass’ at Spring Dance 2010. Photo by Ian Bird.

What is the most interesting work you have been involved in?

Because I freelance, my work is constantly shifting with each project I am involved in – that is the most interesting part.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

Performing at Tanja Liedtke’s funeral tribute. That was difficult, strange and surreal.

How do you prepare for a role?

With each role comes different preparation. I may work on a piece for several months, researching and creating material for a role. Other times I have to jump into an existing work with only a week to learn and hopefully develop my own feel for it.  It’s a completely different process, but I try my best to give as much as I can to the process so that I can perform it well and not just dance the steps.

What are your influences?

Visual art, movies, music, nature, peers – everything in your life influences you in some way or another.

You have such a captivating stage presence, how have you developed this?
I really am interested in exploring how movement is executed, with less emphasis on what the moves are.  Dance as an experience for both myself as the performer and hopefully, you as the audience.

How do you overcome disappointment in your career?

Put the past behind you… And what could be that disappointing when you have a career in what you love to do?

What is your favourite and least favourite type of choreographic process?
Least favourite would have to be a process in which the choreographer would give me all the choreographic material, it’s quite an old school method of making dance work. I much prefer to be in a collaborative process where the performers are included in the making of the work and get to contribute their own creative ideas. In saying that, I have worked with directors that ask you to create basically everything and don’t seem to contribute much themselves. A balance is ideal.

You created a piece for the IO Myers Studio which was shown at Spring Dance festival this year. Are you moving into choreography as a next step in your career, or was that just something you decided to do for that particular show?

Choreography is definitely a progression in my career but I am by no means labeling myself as a choreographer, not for now anyway. I am still very interested in performing in other peoples’ work. I am looking to find a mix of the two.

Would you ever create a full-length work? What would it be about?

I recently made my first full length work, Kingdom Mourning, on the third year students at Adelaide College of the Arts. In the work I looked at the relationship between an abstract world and it’s inhabitants, the community within it, both as a group/pack and the individuality within the group.

If you could dance with any company, which would it be?

I am very happy freelancing.

Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse
October 10-16 2013
As part of Melbourne Festival

By Rain Francis.

I had been hanging out to see anything by William Forsythe since my first year of dance school, when we were shown In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated on VHS (you do the math). My mind was officially blown.

Forsythe is the Radiohead of the dance world. Always reinventing, always experimenting, kicking butt in one genre but – never settling for a tried and true approach, despite being awesome at it – evolving effortlessly into the next. Or, more accurately, conjuring up a new genre altogether. This, to me, is the mark of a true artist.

The 2008 work, I don’t believe in outer space is outright bizarre at times, but always engaging. It is kind of like a fly-on-the-wall account of what it is to be human. It highlights the fact that our combined neuroses, insecurities and idiosyncrasies (our general ‘weirdness’, if you will) are in fact our common ground.

There’s something distinctly David Lynch about this work, with its creepy abstraction and eerily subdued, Twin Peaks-style lounge swing. The score is outstanding; the work of long-time Forysthe collaborators Thom Willems (Composer) and Niels Lanz (Sound Design).

Hilariously, Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive gets a good run for its money. That quintessentially camp karaoke favourite finds its way into the context, reappearing in several incarnations and taking on various meanings. It is sometimes imbued with horror or with desperation – and sometimes, it’s just plain funny.

Not many other companies could put a throng of performers on stage in track pants and sneakers and have them look so polished. In this instance, the everyday nature of the costumes works, adding to the sense that this is about all of us, about our whole worlds, both external and internal. The stage itself is littered with debris; perhaps both the detritus hanging out in outer space and the maelstrom of our individual “baggage”.

Many of Forsythe’s performers are what you might describe as “mature”. From as far afield as Japan, Canada, Albania and Western Europe, they bring a diverse wealth of experience and culture to the party. Not simply incredible movers, they are impassioned, full body-and-soul artists, each seemingly utilising every fibre of his or her respective being. They are amazing to watch.

I don’t believe in outer space is about as far away from In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated as The King of Limbs is from Pablo Honey. And while In the Middle… will always be one of my go-to YouTube destinations when I’m trying to avoid writing, I don’t believe in outer space has blown my mind in a whole new way. This is a work you don’t feel you are just watching, but experiencing. It is at times a baffling vortex, but that’s life, right?

Photo courtesy of TS Publicity.

By Kristy Johnson.

Opening to rave reviews in Sydney, An Officer and a Gentleman is continuing it’s packed out season. Part of its success no doubt lies in the choreography. Turning a Navy drill sequence into something for the stage provided a challenge for choreographer Andrew Hallsworth. Yet what we see on stage is something quite naturalistic and a true testament to the work of one of Australia’s most talented visionaries.

Here, Dance Informa chats with Andrew on the creative process behind the musical.

How did you find the experience of choreographing for An Officer and a Gentleman? Was any part of it challenging?

Well, what was challenging was the physicality of it. When the candidates go through their training program it includes lots of climbing, jumping, crawling on the floor, getting dunked under water, and gun drills. So that was kind of challenging but exciting at the same time. It was something I’ve never really done on stage before. And because I wasn’t going for a ‘dancey’ kind of version, like a West Side Story where the men all dance around the stage, I had to find a choreographed sort of physicality that looked naturalistic. That was really challenging. How many times does a push up look like a push up? Or an ab exercise look like an ab exercise? It has to look like something else because you’re doing a musical.

Had you worked with any of the dancers before on other productions?

Yes, there were quite a few of them I had worked with before, including Amanda Harrison and Bert Lamonte. There’s a whole bunch of them I had worked with on other shows, whether they’d been musicals or something else. Then there was sort of a new crew that had come in. So it was all about finding new professional relationships with them.

'An Officer and a Gentleman' rehearsals

How far in advance did you begin rehearsals?

We started seven weeks out from the opening, so we had four weeks in the rehearsal room and then we were in the theatre for three weeks. It was about seven weeks all up.

Is that generally how it works for other musicals?

It’s about the same. It’s usually seven to eight weeks. We started in March and we opened in May, and that’s the usual kind of set up for those big musicals. I’m doing a production company show in Melbourne at the moment and we have two weeks to get it up and running. We work really fast. You have to surround yourself with really good, experienced people.

Were you present at the auditions for An Officer and a Gentleman?

Yes, I sure was. We workshopped it over two years leading up to when we opened. We did a big workshop in Melbourne, and then we went to New York and had a workshop there. And then just before we started rehearsals, we just did a mini workshop which was with actors around the table to hear the flow of it again, and the auditions happened before that. Probably six months leading up to the opening. So it’s been a two-year process.

Do you think Australian musicals are on the same level as what you see on Broadway? Or is Broadway on a much grander scale?

It’s on a grander scale because there are so many more shows there. You go to New York and you see that the whole midtown area and every street has got three theatres on it on either side of Broadway. Clearly it’s the mecca where musicals were born and they do it the best there, without a doubt. But Aussies are as strong as the Americans are. Our production of Priscilla in Australia was just as strong as the Broadway production that’s just about to close. But there’s just that Broadway thing….I don’t know what it is. It’s that whole midtown section and every night there’s billboard after billboard, so whenever you see a show there, you’re just so enraptured in all the musical theatre around you. It just makes everything much grander and more professional. As far as talent goes, I think there’s just more dancers there. When you audition in New York you see dozens and dozens and dozens of people for one particular role. There are just so many shows there and so many more stars.

Having started out as a performer, do you prefer to be on the other side of the creative process and be involved in choreography?

Yeah, I do.  I loved performing in shows, but even when I did my first show when I was 17, I was interested in the process of how they built the musical up. I’d always watch rehearsals even if I wasn’t in the dance routine. I’d always sit in and watch. I was never interested in being a leading man or anything like that. As soon as I had a few shows under my belt, I started wanting to be a dance captain and wanting to be an assistant and just that general progression towards going ‘well I like choreographing, let’s see whether this is going to happen or not’. I was lucky enough to align myself with Ross Coleman who kind of mentored me for 12 years, and then I was choreographing my own shows. Having him there and pushing me opened a lot of doors to what I’m lucky enough now to be able to do. It’s always been something I’ve been interested in.

By Kristy Johnson.

As an Emmy nominated choreographer on America’s smash hit So You Think You Can Dance, Travis Wall has come a long way since competing on the show. Along with the exposure has come plenty of job opportunities. Not only will we see his choreographic talents in the next Step Up installment – Step Up 4, but Travis has a reality show already in the works.

Dance Informa caught up with Travis from Los Angeles.

How grateful are you to So You Think You Can Dance for all the opportunities you’ve had since competing on the show?

I thank them as much as I can (laughs). They are pretty much responsible for my big break as a choreographer. I was doing the odd job here and there, but because of the exposure I got with the show as a choreographer, it really opened up all the doors and all the jobs I’ve actually had since then. I always call the executive producers and tell them all the time, ‘thank you so much.’ This entire experience has changed my life, and I’m very grateful.

When you were learning Mia Michaels’ Emmy winning ‘The Bench’ piece, did you already know or have a feeling it would garner so much attention?

I actually did not. I was so excited to do the piece with Mia, but at the time my partner was having trouble with it. I wasn’t dancing with a contemporary dancer; I was dancing with a ballroom dancer. So for me I wasn’t thinking about how the audience or judges would respond to it. I was constantly worried about whether my partner would even get through the routine. I didn’t even know if we would finish the routine because she was crying so much. I was worried about that. I wasn’t even worried about what everyone was going to think. I was making sure that we were actually going to have a piece. Right before dress rehearsals, she felt okay about it, so the next time we did it, it was on stage in front of everybody. It really just came to life. So the response from that piece…we weren’t expecting it because we weren’t seeing that product in rehearsal. It kind of just came out of the blue. It got such a huge response.

Teddy Forance, Travis Wall, Kyle Robinson & Nick Lazzarini of 'All The Right Moves'. Photo by: Andrew Eccles/Oxygen Media

Congratulations on having your own show picked up – All The Right Moves. Can you tell us what the show will be about and your involvement in it?

The show follows my three closest friends and me. I started a dance company along with two of my best friends called Shaping Sound. The show is really about how to get a dance company up and running. I’m more of a choreographer and my friends are pretty much trying to break in as choreographers, so we’re just trying to get our name out there as much as possible. It’s following us, building this company off the ground, looking at how to get money, how to deal with dancers’ egos, how to deal with our own egos, and the whole process. And at the same time it follows our personal careers and our personal lives. Pretty much the show is what happens to us in our day (laughs). It’s very emotional and it’s definitely something to watch.

How did the concept for a show come about?

A producer approached me and asked what I would think about having my own reality show. I was like, ‘I don’t know about that’. We are all entertaining and together we have a great show. If it were just about me, I don’t know how entertaining that would be (laughs). I introduced my friends to everybody and we came up with this concept. It’s been a two-year process getting this TV show up and running.

How was the experience of choreographing for Step Up 4?

I had an amazing time on the movie. We had to do it pretty fast. We had to choreograph in two weeks! We shot the whole movie in I think two and a half months. We started at the end of August and finished right before Halloween. It was a great experience. It was my first movie choreographing and I can’t wait to do more because of it. I love choreographing in movies!

Did you have a say in casting?

I didn’t have a say in the hip hop casting and I had to actually work with the hip hop dancers. The dancers who I did cast were Miami locals, so I did have a say in some casting. I had a great group of dancers, so I was very happy with whom I found. Sometimes when you’re not working in Los Angeles or New York, you don’t necessarily get the best dancers. I definitely picked the best dancers from Miami, so I was very happy with that.

Top photo: Dancer and Choreographer Travis Wall by Andrew Eccles/Oxygen Media

How much do you know about George Balanchine, one of the 20th century’s most famous choreographers?

By Rain Francis.

1. George Balanchine was born in which country?

a) USA

b) Germany

c) Russia

d) Poland

2. With which composer would you MOST associate Balanchine?

a) Tchaikovsky

b) Stravinsky

c) Ravel

d) Gerhswin

3. Which of the following is NOT represented in Balanchine’s Jewels?

a) Sapphires

b) Rubies

c) Emeralds

d) Diamonds

4. Which group of dancers was Concerto Barocco choreographed on?

a) New York City Ballet

b) Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo

c) Julliard School of Dance

d) School of American Ballet

5. How many times did Balanchine marry?

a) none

b) twice

c) four times

d) five times

6. Which dancer created the lead role in The Prodigal Son?

a) Serge Lifar

b) Vaslav Nijinksy

c) Leonide Massine

d) Mikhail Baryshnikov

7. Which ballerina created the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s The Nutcracker ?

a) Maria Tallchief

b) Suzanne Farrell

c) Gelsey Kirkland

d) Patricia McBride

8. Which was the first ballet Balanchine choreographed in America?

a) Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux

b) Serenade

c) Agon

d) Apollo

9. Which of the following Greek muses is NOT present in the ballet Apollo?

a) Terpsichore, muse of dance

b) Caliope, muse of epic poetry

c) Clio, muse of history

d) Polyhymnia, muse of mime or hymns

10. Theme and Variations is choreographed to a score by which composer?

a) Stravinsky

b) Prokofiev

c) Satie

d) Tchaikovsky

ANSWERS: 1 – c; 2 – b; 3 – a; 4 – d; 5 – d; 6 – a; 7 – a; 8 – b; 9 – c; 10 – d

Photo: English National Ballet. Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks performing Balanchine’s Apollo. Photo by Patrick Baldwin.

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