Who is Melanie Lane?
I’m a Javanese/Australian choreographer and performer, based in Melbourne.
What would you do differently to what you do now?
Probably doing more of what I’m doing now while expanding into other forms. I’d love to work more with film, and visual arts.
Who inspires you and why?
My mother and father are both fierce, inspiring people in different ways. My mother has lived with polio since she was two, migrated to Australia from Indonesia when she was in her 20’s and is one of the strongest, independent women I know. My father is a political activist and writer, dedicating his life work to giving a voice to others.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I’m all for the early education of arts and cultural heritage. Teaching, communicating, sharing information about Australian indigenous and multicultural arts and culture as a way to plant the seeds for inclusivity and understanding cultural identity.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Berlin, because it’s my other home and a truly magical city. I lived there for 15 years and still have an apartment, friends, family and lots of history there. It’s a city of endless happenings on such a large spectrum that it’s impossible to describe in a sentence. It was once called ‘poor but sexy’…
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
I always take friends to Williamstown. Such a quiet and beautiful hidden spot. The Jawbone Marine Sanctuary is one of my regular escapes from the city.
What are you currently reading?
People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry – I’m a sucker for dark crime thrillers.
What are you currently listening to?
Podcasts. I’m loving investigative reporting like REVEAL, and juicy conversations with humans that I want to know more about like Intelligence Squared – this one kind of sounds pretentious, but it’s really good.
Happiness is?
Time with my partner, Chris.
What does the future hold for you?
As an independent artist the future is always weirdly mysterious and unexpected. The next year includes dances in Indonesia, Europe and Sydney as well as turning a ripe 40…
Melanie will coax you off the couch and into the club in Nightdance – a pulsating new work that investigates the physical experience of the nightclub, and its seductive promise of transformation, primal temptation and sublime release – at Arts House for a limited season from 24 August 2017. For more information, visit: www.artshouse.com.au for details.
Image: Melanie Lane – courtesy of Lane Projects