Taking dance 'out of bounds'
This showcase of choreography is all about experimentation and 'radical inclusivity', writes Leila Lois.
Out of Bounds, a showcase of choreography with Q&A after, is an exciting addition to Melbourne’s growing landscape of platforms for emerging choreographers, invoking the spirit of experimentation and idea sharing. The first showcase took place last weekend, the Temperance Hall in South Melbourne, a historic building converted into a theatre spac,. A collaboration between international dance artists Phillip Adams, director of BalletLab, and Lucy Guerin, director of Lucy Guerin Inc., Out of Bounds showcases are programmed twice a year. The space is dedicated to emerging dance practice and, as Adams puts it, “radical inclusivity”. I was able to attend some of August’s showcase, to get a taste of Out of Bounds and talk to these two accomplished Melbourne-of-origin choreographers about the project.
“Lucy and I came up with the concept when we were reminiscing about our times in the dance world of New York in the 90s and noughties,” Adams tells me over the drinks table at the event. “We had unique opportunities to perform and then discuss our works with audiences and other choreographers in a casual but inquisitive environment . . . these spaces were really special.”
Wanting to replicate the openness and curiosity of what they experienced in New York, Adams and Guerin teamed up to create Out of Bounds, an invitation for emerging dance artists in Melbourne to showcase their work and, after the show, receive creative feedback from audience and experienced dance practitioners. The program’s aim is to be able to show dance works in their “raw” state and, from that, give artists the opportunity to grow.
Since its inception two years ago, the Out of Bounds showcases have gained in momentum, with graduate dance students, next generation, mid-career and senior choreographers participating. Also, several of the pieces shown in the previous series have gone onto be commissioned for Melbourne Fringe this year at Temperance Hall. What a great way to discover new choreographers and open up opportunity to further realise the development of their ideas through commissioning.
The three pieces I saw showed a wide cross-section of this radically inclusive agenda, with a mature artist, LGBTI+ and CALD artists visible. Each one had simple use of set, lighting and music which had been arranged in consultation with the stage technicians in rehearsal. Adams told me the option for experimentation permeates the whole process from rehearsal to performance in the space, with one artist opting to change his lighting plan 10 minutes before the performance. All of the creators at Temperance Hall are on the pulse and open to the possibilities of bringing live performance into being. The facilitation I sat in on after, by an established choreographer, was eye-opening, as the dance artist was able to expound the intention and design of their piece for audience members. We were then invited to give feedback and ask questions, which the artists could respond to immediately or use to inform their further development of the works.
“Out of Bounds is about testing out new ideas and encouraging experimentation and risk.” Guerin tells me. “For me it's so thrilling and energising to see 24 new ideas in one weekend.”
Out of Bounds is another great venture moving away from codified, exclusionary dance practice and towards opportunity and inspiration for emerging choreographers and would-be dancers alike. Dance is about so much more than how many pirouettes you can do or how many jargon terms you know and in order for the full potential of dance to be felt widely by diverse audiences (dancer and non-dancer), these platforms are important and a step in the an expansive direction.
Watch 'The Hendrix Project', 1992 Spoleto Dance Festival, North Carolina.
Choreography: Bebe Miller
Music: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, performed by the Jimi Hendrix Experience
Performers: Phillip Adams, Nikki Castro, Lucy Guerin, Renée Lemieux, Bebe Miller, Scott Smith, Lucy Guerin and Earnie Stevenson
Visual design: Caroline Beasley-Baker
Costume design: Amy Downs
Lighting design: Ken Tabachnick
Permission Curtesy of Bebe Miller Dance Company Vimeo Archive