In the October/November issue of Dance Australia, Nina Levy put together a Careers Special that focuses on the many different careers available for dancers who want to work off-stage. The Careers Special includes profiles of dance-trained professionals working in a range of jobs, including Luke Smile, freelance dancer and sound designer/composer.
As a dancer, Luke Smiles has worked with Sue Healey, (Vis-a-Vis Dance Canberra), Gideon Obarzanek (Chunky Move), Garry Stewart, Meryl Tankard, Australian Dance Theatre, Lucy Guerin Inc., Balletlab, Byron Perry, Antony Hamilton, Windmill Theatre, and Gabrielle Nankivell. Although he currently spends most of his time working as as a composer/sound designer, he has never retired from dancing. It's a juggling act, he tells Nina Levy.
Nina Levy: How did you come to sound design?
Luke Smiles: From a young age I was fascinated by the sound of video games and, more importantly, cinema. As the pursuit of dance is so time consuming I never had the opportunity to study music. It wasn’t until I was working as a professional dancer that I was in a financial situation to purchase equipment and seriously begin to explore this alternate interest. A few years into my dance career, my first ‘sound’ job came when I was fortunate enough to be commissioned to create the score for a dance production by Gideon Obarzanek for the Nederlands Dans Theater. This division of career seemed the perfect fit for my creative life. I was able to consider both dance projects or composition projects and attempt to balance the two in the hope that I would forever maintain a passion for both without exhausting either one too much.
What does working as a composer/sound designer entail?
I think my approach to composition/sound design, especially for dance projects, is somewhat different to others. Having worked for many years as a dancer it’s allowed me to observe the choreographic process from the inside, which provides me two benefits. One is an understanding of the time consuming nature of creating dance along with the level of detail and information that is contained within choreography, and the other is the rapport that I have with choreographers who know my background and often allow me to suggest possibilities that influence the choreography itself. When creating a soundtrack for dance it’s imperative that I’m in the dance studio with the choreographer and the cast the entire time throughout the creation of the work. In terms of
collaboration, the rehearsal studio is the real workplace where the piece is made, so it’s natural for me to be in there too. Of course this means I then have to go away and spend most nights creating sound so I have possibilities to respond
with in the dance studio during rehearsals.
Did you need to acquire any new skills or qualifications to transition into sound design?
I’m completely self taught and thankful to the knowledge of others who were willing to share.
What are the challenges of being a slashie (dancer sound designer)?
The greatest challenge for me is to not wear both hats at the same time! There have been a few situations where I’ve created the soundtrack for a production that I’m also dancing in but that’s just cause for a ridiculously stressful time! Dancing all day then working on sound all night isn’t the best combination for maintaining a clear focus and a rejuvenated body. Apart from that I’d say time management is a challenge that faces all creative people who work freelance. There are so many things to juggle a lot of the time - schedules, funding, venues and tech requirements, let alone inspiration, research, and development - that make effective time management a big help.
And the advantages?
The obvious advantage of being a “slashie” is the potential of making a living in the arts by doing multiple things.
What do you enjoy about working in sound?
Sound is a fantastic artistic medium because we as humans are really good at understanding it. Sound also has a profound
effect on our emotions. The world is a very noisy place and for a composer/sound designer there’s an infinite amount of creative
possibilities at your disposal all around you all of the time. Exploring the combination of the qualities of sounds along with their
emotional connection with an audience is what I enjoy about working in sound.
Pictured top: Luke Smiles. Photo: Chris Herzfeld Camlight Productions.
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