Critical Path in partnership with Sydney Festival 2018 present Talking Dance, a series of conversations between the Festival artists exploring ideas in their performance works and broader practice.
What does dance mean here and now to us? How does it place us, how does it reflect who we are now? If choreography is the art of bodies in space and time, then dance offers us a unique way to engage with our place in time.
Dancing Here – State of Play
A conversation with NSW connected makers around the making of physically driven work;
Narelle Benjamin, Danielle Micich (Force Majeure), Jo Lancaster & Simon Yates (Acrobat)
Speaking outside of the context of a post-show talk, the artists consider common concerns and experiences and talk about the relationship of the work in this year’s festival to their other works and ongoing practice. Making work in NSW and elsewhere the conversation explores what the context of making work brings to the art that is created, and the ideas that underpin the bodies at play.
FREE. Registration required
Sydney Festival 2018
Online or 1300 856 876
Speakers
Danielle Micich (You Animal, You) joined Force Majeure as Artistic Director in 2015 and presented her first work Off The Record with the company in 2016. She is a choreographer, director and performer. In 2014 Danielle was Assistant Director on Sydney Theatre Company’s Perplex and choreographed Barking Gecko Theatre Company’s 1507. Danielle was also the Artistic Director of STEPS Youth Dance Company for four years and in 2011 performed in Night Train Productions’ Wish with Humphrey Bower, winning a West Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Female Performer, and Blue Room Theatre award for Best Individual Performance and Members Choice.
Jo and Simon (It’s Not For Everyone) are the founders of acrobat, their main occupation for almost 25 years. At 51 and 45 respectively, Jo and Simon maintain remarkable physical capacity, a testimony to the spartan lifestyle they have maintained and endorse. They continue to be inspired by one another’s kooks and peculiarities, agreeing on everything and remaining distinctly out-of-step with their contemporaries.
Narelle Benjamin (Cella) has danced with many Australian and international choreographers including Garry Stewart’s Australian Dance Theatre, Gideon Obarzanek’s Chunky Move, Bangarra Dance Theatre and One Extra Dance Theatre among others. The development of her choreographic career has included two works for the One Extra Company, Gossamer (Sydney Dance Company), The Dark Room (Australian Ballet), Figment (Sydney Festival 2008), Lulie and Pixel (Theatre of Image), Forseen (a double bill alongside Frances Rings, performed at Bangarra Dance Theatre and Riverside Theatres Parramatta). Narelle’s last full length work, Hiding In Plain Sight, at Performance Space, Carriage Works 2014, with performers Kristina Chan and Sara Black was awarded outstanding Achievement in choreography at the 2015 Australian Dance Awards.