Dance Australia – June-July 2017

JUNE / JULY 2017 | WWW.DANCEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

22 /FEATURE

ABOVE: Netherlands
Dance Theatre performing
Crystal Pite’sSolo Echo.

RIGHT:QldBallet’sVito
Bernasconi and Georgia
Swan in Weir’sWe Who
Are Left.

OPPOSITE:AliceTopp:‘IfI
hadn’t been encouraged it
wouldn’t have happened’.

Contemporary choreography, she goes on,

by its essence requires greater collaboration

between dancer and choreographer. With

classical work, the dancers generally learn

repertoire – steps that have already been

created in the head of the choreographer.

Theaimistolearnitandperformittothe

best possible standard, often following in

footstepsthatwerelaidmanydecadesago.

Ontheotherhand,Weirsays,“withina

contemporary company dancers work

collaboratively with the choreographers, and

thedancersareoftengeneratingthe

movement,sotheyfeelliketheyare

choreographing from a very early stage in

their career, and a lot of them then start

pursuing choreographic opportunities quite

early while they’re still dancing.

Contemporary companies do offer emerging

artists more opportunities[than classical

companies] to choreograph, more platforms.”

That's where the Australian Ballet's

“Bodytorque”wassointegraltoTopp's

development. The program is geared

specifically to allow company dancers to try

theirhandatmakingawork,whilesupported

by the full company infrastructure.

PHOTO: DAVID KELLY

PHOTO: RAHI REZ VANI