Chunky Move - Glow

It's unnerving to have the choreographer of the show that you're seeing sit next to you. Especially when the people accompanying you usually make it quite clear and quickly whether or not they liked the show and they are not aware that the creator of the show is sitting within earshot. Such outspokenness is a good quality to have, don't get me wrong, because if a dance work is shite then, well, you can't really blame someone for saying so.

But I still would have found it an awkward situation to be in...

Thankfully Glow wasn't crap. The effect of the technology was beautiful and intriguing; and after only twenty six minutes, it didn't have enough time to get tiresome. Though despite the obvious technical ability of the soloist, her execution of the distorted and fluid movement phrases, the real showcase was her shadow. The visual tracking mechanism employed, that registered her every movement and influenced the projection beamed back onto her writhing floor-bound body, created some startling effect on her shadow that would not normally be possible. At times, her shadow would manipulate the spirograph-like loops of light that were projected onto the floor around her. Other times, the mechanism would remember her movement and leave black imprints on the floor, as if her ghostly shadow was delayed and was slowing catching up to her. Then there were times when her shadow would smear across the floor, disrupting the parallel lines that were drawn across her body. Beautiful, understated effects that have immediately obvious potential as theatrical devices.

Twenty six minutes doesn't give you much time to get bored but it can certainly leave you wanting more. It's a beautiful technology but there's certainly more scope for it to be used better. What little theatricality is shallow and unsatisfying. The speaking-in-tongues sits oddly in a show that seems primarily concerned with visual effect, though halfway through I realised that perhaps there may have been a concurrent audio feedback process happening, where the dancer's screeches were being recorded and manipulated by software, to be incorporated into the soundtrack. THAT would have been intriguing but it wasn't clear that this was happening and, if it was, it wasn't really taken far enough.

As installation art, it was sublime. As a piece of theatre, it fell quite short. The technology is extraordinary. Now it just needs to be used.

UPDATE: click here to see a snippet of Glow. Thanks to Doug Fox for the link. It was good to be reminded of just how visually striking it was to watch. Certainly something not to miss...

SCOPE (Securing Career Opportunities and Professional Employment)

A month ago I was busy updating and submitting my resume. And this is the result: acceptance into the SCOPE program. Cool. Now I can finally get some concrete web development skills instead of fumbling around and pretending to know what I'm doing... hehe...

I had missed all the information seminars and only heard about the program a week before the application was due but, lucky for me, I already had a good idea of what I wanted to do. And all I needed was a program like this to fill in the blanks.

Even now it's amazing to think about what this program is about, it's an extraordinary idea. Having already been implemented for elite athletes for fifteen years, the transition of this program to professional dancers is a neat fit because of the similarities in two different fields. What are you supposed to do after your professional dance career, when you've trained your body so specifically and with so much dedication? This thought has been with me pretty much for my entire dance career because I do have quite strong interest in lots of other things besides dance (and don't get me started about whether or not I'm still committed to my current profession because, with this program, nothing has changed in that respect; this is currently a very sore point with me...) and I don't see why I don't just explore that.

Although I must admit that when I was writing my application, I felt that I didn't really know WHAT this program was about. Sure, there was enough information on the website but I guess I was in disbelief that a program like this actually exists. It promises so much, it couldn't be true. But I took their word and finished the application regardless.

The induction was fun, had to take some time off work to attend and, conveniently enough for me, was at the Bangarra Mezzanine. Strange feeling, though, to be networking and occasionally glancing down at the dancers in a rehearsal that I would normally be present at. The dancers chosen for the program were all so diverse, some with more concrete ideas for what they want out of the program than others, but there was one thing common amongst us all: none of us wanted to leave the dance profession. Indeed I applied so that I could STAY in dance, and that was the same for everyone else. Alot of us also shared my amazement at the existence of this program and, through the induction, we were reassured that, yes, everything is as it seems. (On second thoughts, I was probably the least sure about the program because everyone else seemed to have attended the information seminars...)

So all I have to do is sign the contract and off I go. It's going to be an interesting year!

Anyone who saw the Australian Dance Awards last year would be familiar with movement and the design of this but it all works well with the music too. Soon to be broadcast on TV soon but you can enjoy it here.

Mr Jigga - Garage Party
Directed and Choreographed by Anton, DILM Films
Produced By Gavin Jarrett
SFX Owen Norling
Performed by Dirty Feet
Shot By Dean Tocchini and Evan Papagergiou

Sydney Festival 2007
Wow it's been a terrific start to the year in Sydney. As far as festivals go, it's right up there with the time when Stephen Page was running the show in Adelaide and Bangarra was the headline show... thankfully we didn't have to perform here in Sydney so I got to see heaps of things. And what a program it was! Here is my top five festival events:

5. Lou Reed - Berlin
Not my cup of tea, to be sure, but the musicianship was unquestionably good. Guest vocalist Antony, who was here for last year's festival, blew us away again, with his soaring voice. It was standing room only at The State but it was worth it.

4. Australian Dance Theatre - Devolution
The dancers of ADT are superhuman and are appropriately matched with the un-human robots. It was like we were on board the Nostromo, battling Aliens. It's undeniably spectacular, ambitious and mind-blowing but, like the soundtrack, it all runs at volume eleven. Halfway through you become thankful for the beautiful calm projections, as if someone had turned the volume down to about three, so that you can take a moment to breathe again. Strangely enough, and in contrast to alot of other reactions to this work, I wanted to see more robots, or at least more interaction with them. The two large robots entering the dance space to inspect the dancers, and the large tentacle-like robotic appendages protruding from the dancers' torsos were highlights, teasing the audience to believe that we would actually see a devolution where the dancers would become totally integrated with the robotic mechanisms. It never happens, though, instead we get to see an explosive finale full of daring acrobatics at warp speed. Am I expecting too much from them already?

The next three I couldn't decide between them so they're all equal first!

=1. Back To Back Theatre - Small Metal Objects
This production turns the theatrical experience on its head and manages to effortlessly deal with improbable contradictions in less than an hour. It is sad and funny at the same time. The audience becomes the stage for random passers-by to watch as we laugh at them and their silly human ways. Actors intermingle through a sea of *real people* in transit, some intrigued by the spectacle of a full audience stand while others simply ignore it as they get on with their lives. As one of the performers stares blankly into the audience (he's a bit wrong in the head, apparently) he becomes a people magnet, attracting the passers-by to stop and watch us, oblivious to the fact that there's a personal drama being acted out in this most public of places, The Circular Quay train station. You can't help but laugh when tourists stop to take photos of us, and there was a hilarious moment when a couple of toddlers took the opportunity to run up to the audience and do their own little performance. Seemingly incongruous to the fact that we are watching a rather large drug deal but, then again, where better to supply gear than a train station? (not like I'd know) Intriguing theatre.

=1. Lucy Guerin Company - Structure and Sadness
Guerin amasses a talent pool of dancers to match ADT but the production is on a much smaller scale, the cold robotic metal replaced with the ordinary slabs of wood. But boy is she meticulous about the wood! I could watch the dancers build that house-of-cards structure all night, knowing that the domino-like collapse of the building was inevitable. And unlike ADT, Guerin delivers on the title of her work: there is a structure and, after it collapses, there is sadness. Simple, really. There's also rebuilding, a coming-to-terms with the disaster, that's quite touching.

=1. La Clique
The Tennis-Racquet guy was especially hilarious. This was a perfectly entertaining piece of theatre, perfectly staged, and was amazing the whole way through. I felt like I had gone back in time, to the era of burlesque theatre (whatever era that was...)

Not to forget:
Akhe Russian Engineering Theatre - White Cabin: No discernible story. More like an excuse to get onstage and get drunk whilst spilling lots of wine and burning things and getting a bit wet. I have no idea what I saw but was more than happy to experience it. Those crazy Russians!

Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley and Nitin Sawhney - zero degrees
This could have been a good work but I went on opening night at The Carriageworks and, along with about 95% of the audience, couldn't see what was going on. Thankfully it all got sorted by the time I went to see ADT. Love the venue besides...

Tags: Sydney Festival, Dance, Theatre, Music, Australian Dance Theatre, Lou Reed, Antony, Back To Back Theatre, Lucy Guerin, La Clique.

Terrible, isn't it? December has barely started and I'm already on holidays. Yay! Even so, my "to do" list is preventing me from feeling like I have time to relax. There are things to do that I had put off, y'know, the fun stuff like my tax return. And there's still the seasonal pressure of present-buying, which is GREAT when you're as indecisive as I am.

I also have to find time to jump out of a plane!!! courtesy of JPB in honour of my new-found thirty-ness; a strange choice of present because, now that I'm officially over the hill, it's not like I need to go any faster on the downward spiral of life.

Anyway, so far the start of the holidays has been pretty eventful. It began with a punk-themed Christmas party that I feel like I've only just recovered from. On Monday BO-A showed me a video she filmed on her phone of the party and I honestly cannot remember that happening but the evidence is clear. The only downer was at three in the morning the cunting Stonewall door bitches were enforcing their straight girl quota policy thinly disguised as an anti-"open-toed-shoe" policy which meant one of my dear friends that I had been having such a good time with went home early. Nevertheless, the night up 'til that point was awesome.

Also went to see Branch Nebula's Paradise City, which was a terrific mash of performance skills. A skater, a break-dancer, a BMX rider, an acrobat, a dancer and a fallen diva... facing each other off (as you would do on the street, y'know...) and it was great to see them at times taking on each other's qualities in their own way. Worth seeing. That as well as Emio Greco | PC on the Friday, not to mention James Bond on Monday, and I'm having a pretty good serve of culture... Sure makes doing an end-of-year Top 5 list of performing arts events even harder (what did I see this year again???)

Anyway, I'm rambling. Sorry about the post going nowhere...

Technorati Tags: Holiday, Party, Stonewall, Branch Nebula, Paradise City, Theatre, lists

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Created by my friend anton an co. The footage originally comes from Einselganger, a dance film presented as part of ReelDance's Take 12 and screened most recently at CineMoves.

(if you're not doing anything this Saturday...)

Sydney Dance Company and ReelDance present

ReelDance: Take 12 @ CINEMOVES

Curated by Narelle Benjamin and Erin Brannigan.

Entry is by donation ($5)

Sat 25 November 2006 @ 6:30pm
SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY STUDIOS
Pier 4, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay

For further information contact Erin Brannigan: erin@redrocket.com.au

Straight from Electrofringe in Newcastle and Dance Your Socks Off! In Wellington (NZ), ReelDance: Take 12 will be presented at CINEMOVES before continuing on to Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. This program of dance shorts includes work by young and emerging filmmakers from Australia and New Zealand and features artists from Australian Dance Theatre (Adelaide) and the independent dance scenes in Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand. There’s kids on monkey bars, a guy caught in a girl’s woolen web, a mock hip hop clip, a very quick trip around the world and a quirky step-by-step guide to dance.

Filmmakers Rosetta Cook (visiting from Brisbane), Samuel James, Julie-Anne Long, Jason Lam and Anton will be at the screening to answer questions and discuss their work.

CINEMOVES is an ongoing series of forums dedicated to the exhibition and discussion of dance and movement on film. Launched in 2004 and presented by Sydney Dance Company and ReelDance, CINEMOVES celebrates dance filmmaking, providing a relaxed and informal atmosphere in which to view films and engage in discussion with filmmakers and choreographers.
There will be complimentary drinks and snacks and plenty of time for conversation about the program with the artists. It’s our last CINEMOVES for 2006 so it would be great to have a celebratory drink with you all.

Technorati Tags: Cinemoves, dance, dancefilm, sydney, reeldance

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A couple of days after I had seen it, YB asked me if she should go and see Douglas Wright's Black Milk. Normally I would have wholeheartedly encouraged her to go because it is important for dancers to go out and see what other dancers are up to, especially when the work is in complete contrast to what we do. And, besides, Sydney Opera House are having a two-for-one deal, which is a bargain! But at the time I just wasn't too sure if I should recommend her to go. Since then, after hearing TB's opinion (and a few others) of the show today, I'm glad to hear that YB has gone out and bought tickets for the show.

But that doesn't change the fact that I really hated it.

I usually like to approach a dance work knowing as little about it as possible. I put off reading all the promotional material about him and the work and I don't even like to read program notes. A piece should be able to speak for itself. Besides the title of the work, all I usually know is who's choreographing and who's performing, and even then that's alot of information because it comes with expectations based on previous works. (Then again, how does one decide to outlay cash in the first place if one doesn't have any information? I guess you could get extremely caught up thinking about this situation, its a wonder that I go out and see dance at all!) I had seen one of Wright's self-performed solo dance film, read his bio and seen his work work DV8, and all this led me to being quite enthusiastic about going in the first place, not to mention the cast that he's been able to gather for the project.

There was one final piece of information that I had about the show that was unavoidable: the WARNING: Black Milk contains nudity and some scenes may disturb. It really does get quite up-front and confrontational but, considering the level of violence and sex you can see on tv and at the cinemas, it really doesn't matter; I'm not going to leave just because I'm offended or horrified. But I don't want to be confronted for the sake of it; there's got to be some reason for it, a story or a point-of-view or something like that. The girl gets raped, the Iraqi soldiers are forced into humiliating sexual activities, there's a painfully drawn-out scene of I guess you could call "reverse birth-giving". Why are we seeing this?

The ventriloquist and his annoying dummy have a conversation about meaning in dance. Its a pertinent sentiment, to see dance for what it is and nothing more, that the dancer is merely "biting the dust", running in a half-circle" or whatever. On its own, I don't have a problem with that idea but in this context, what to make of it? I just feel like I'm being taunted for a response and that really annoys me!

Oh did I hate that dummy. If I had a better connection with that sad bit of wood I may have enjoyed the work better. The real people did a much better job.

I'm not usually prone to such an extreme negative reaction to it but maybe I've just played into Wright's hand: I actually felt SOMETHING for this work, the fact that it was negative is irrelevant. This, however, is why I would recommend seeing it, if only to get really annoyed. Or you might think its pure genius, who knows? If so, you most certainly won't be alone with that sentiment...

Tags: Dance, Douglas Wright, Black Milk, Contemporary Dance.

I had just gotten back from Lismore and was driving home from PT (who had kindly allowed me to leave my car at his place). As I was driving down Cleveland Street I notice that the garage where I normally take my car for servicing was totally gutted out. Crazy. Very annoying because I now have to find somewhere else to take my car in. Oops! How rude of me... I hope no one got hurt and I'm sorry for the owner's losses, they were quite good to me.

Anyway, more changes: Sydney Dance Company are in need of a new Artistic Director. I know, this is extremely old news but I've been away! This Sydney Morning Herald article places just about all the blame on the lack of government funding for dance. I really don't know where to begin commenting about this, its such big news for our neighbours and I hope the dancers are all okay... not a situation I would like to be in.

However, I am interested to see who the company will get to replace Murphy. I'm having alot of trouble imagining the company with a different director, then again the dancers took to Narelle Benjamin's choreography really well, and I really did like the company performing Stephen Petronio's Underland. Never underestimate a dancer's ability to cope with change, just ask me! The change in directorship of the company is big news but I don't think it will necessarily be down hill from here.

Oh, and there's a local Woolies now, on Bourke Street. How convenient! Change is not always a bad thing.

Tags: Dance, Sydney, Sydney Dance Company.

In about six hours from now I have to get in a cab to the airport to fly to Brisbane from Cairns only to get into a bus for a three hour trip to Lismore. Can't really keep us down in one place at the moment. Then again, we're dancers - we're constantly on the move.

Tags: Dance, Bangarra, Photos, Contemporary Dance, Performance, move,Rations, Unaipon.