Image: Prudence Upton
The year is at an end.
I am typing to you, with fatigued fingers, furiously weaving a set. You see, I would normally attempt to regale you with a witty review of sights seen throughout the past year, instead I will attempt to woo you with events to come.
I am very honoured and excited to name three local dance contributions in next year’s Sydney Festival.
FORM Dance Projects and Legs On The Wall will be presenting PUNCTURE, an exciting new work directed by Patrick Nolan and choreographed by Kathryn Puie, involving a live music collaboration with VOX, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and a large cast of performers, who skip through a plethora of social situations through the ages, from court dance etiquette, to mosh pit manoeuvres. I sat on the edge of my seat, in the middle of the action, wondering if I too would be asked to join in, as I (not so) nervously studied the intricate patterns played out before me.
Nothing to Lose will be one of Kate Champion’s swan songs as artistic director of Force Majeure. I saw this in very early development as part of the Sydney satellite IETM offerings and was pleasantly surprised with the subtle shifts occurring every minute, of every close up interaction, from invitations to touch, pinch, and lift large folds of skin, to watching the dancers’ bodies seductively undulate under soft lighting. I was momentarily lost in the movement, liberated from the pressure to conform to social norm.
Lastly, I too will be presenting a world premiere, Long Grass, a tale of five misfits who live on the fringe through good and bad, seeking shelter from the heavy rains of Darwin’s wet season. I am collaborating with Larrakia dancer/choreographer Gary Lang.
It was while trying to elicit help making my ridiculously ambitious set pieces, woven from assorted sourced materials, that it dawned on me, three local female choreographers making up the bulk of dance on offer next January. Not just Australian choreographers, Sydney based Australian choreographers.
What a coup! Who’d have thought? Why not celebrate the not so new year by then, by attending local dance, on the international stage, in our own back yard (virtually). Or is that front doorstep?
Why am I still writing to you? I have a work to make.
Have a great holiday season and watch this space in the New Year.
– by Vicki Van Hout
