First established by a group of working artist’s in 1991, and now in its 24th year, Dancehouse continues to find itself not only at the epicentre of the Melbourne scene but also very much at the heart of Australia’s dance sector. It’s a space to create, explore and discover. Last night they launched their new season with an intimate soirée at their Princess Street residence – too much fanfare.
In response to their 2015 program, Dancehouse Director Angela Conquet said: “The full program as such (including performances, residencies, workshops, publications, talks) is driven by the need to highlight the many subtle inter-connections that exist between the moving body (the performed one as much as the ‘daily’ one) and the world in general.”
“And of course, to give as many opportunities as possible to the independent dance artists to present, research, debate, connect with audiences, expand the possibilities of what the choreographic is today. Some do that brilliantly.”
Some of the highlights found their new season include Fire Underground by acclaimed New York choreographer Donna Uchizono. This is a work, which details the emotional space that opens in lieu of uncertain outcomes. New York Times descried this work as a “heart breaker” and one, which “leaves the theatre scorched” opens on the 14th of August.
For makers of dance, in 2015, Dancehouse will continue to afford opportunities to local dance artist to extend on their practice through a series of workshops with international artists. Of particular interest is Body Cartography with Olive Bieringa taking place in November. This workshop centers on an embodied approach to not only movement, but also creation and expression for both performers and choreographers.
Dancehouse being not only a space that accommodates and presents the works of international artist’s, Gregory Lorenzutti will here be presenting an exhibition that places the dancers body within the visual context of Australian landscapes. Having and continuing to be the ‘go-to guy’ for dance photography in Melbourne, Dance is My Landscape opens 12 June and is not be missed!
2015 artist in resident Sarah Aitken, who most recently paired with Rebecca Jensen in Overworld for Dance Massive – a work that explored neo-paganism, counter culture, and digital information. At Dancehouse she is presenting Set – a work that elevates objects from the mundane to the spectacular and continues on with her maximalist approach to dance. Aitken is an amazing performer and this work, opening on the 22nd of July should prove to be an amazing night of performance.
Melbourne is fortunate enough to have such a dedicated space, from where both emerging and established dancers can create new work and extend upon their practice, the word “institution” is thrown around allot these days, but it’s an apt description for Dancehouse.
We only have to look at such recent successes as Dance Massive, which gained critical acclaim and attention for many local dancers; to understand how important Dancehouse is. It’s a space that is pivotal in forging new collaborations, building audiences whilst establishing critical discourse surrounding dance and performance modes.
For more information and complete programme, visit: www.dancehouse.com.au for details.
Image: Byron Perry
Editorial: Jessi Lewis