a party on wheels
SKATE ODYSSEY, THE INTERGALACTIC
SKATE COLLECTIVE, ARE ON A ROLL.
Wor d s Ashleigh Steel
There’s something about shoes on wheels that inspires eventhe
toughest of cookies to skate down memory lane. “I love hearing
people’s rollerskate stories,” says Andi Dextris, one-seventhof
Melbourne performance troupe Skate Odyssey. “Nearly everyone
has one, and it’s usually steeped in joyous nostalgia.” Whetherfora
first kiss or a near miss, most of us have donned the skates atsome
point, but Andi and the rest of this colourful crew never left therink.
Skate Odyssey is a party on wheels, bringing rollerskates, ’70sdisco
bangers, kooky monikers and customised space-age costumestoa
festival, album launch or music video near you. “It’s like a non-stop
disco on skates with your best friends,” member Asphalt Bitumen
says. A last-minute request for a birthday party flash mob was
the impetus for the formation of the skate troupe in 2018. Withonly
10 days to prepare for their first gig, the gang managed to comeup
with an “intergalactic, neon-sequinned dream skate routine”.Five
performance offers came rolling in the following week, and Skate
Odyssey has been trundling forward ever since.
With every performance a unique offering – a mish-mash of
choreography and freestyle movement – there’s no ‘typical’ Skate
Odyssey show. The troupe criss-crosses between a variety of styles,
incorporatingfigurativedance,acrobatics,rampworkandbowl-
skatingintotheirroutines–allwhiledeckedoutinglitter,sequins
andawholelotoffluorofringing."It’saboutworkingwiththeenergy
andvibingupthecrowd,”HayleyHalosays.“Webustoutdifferent
movesandsequenceswhenthetimeisright.”Inthepastyear,Skate
Odysseyhasgracedamyriadofstages,includingMobileDiscoat
PiknicÉlectronik–anopen-airelectronicmusiceventhostedby
internationalDJsCarlCoxandEricPowell,wherethegroupshowed
offtheirspace-agerollerdiscopartytoamere12,000punters.
Thisisclearlymorethananostalgichobbyforthemembersof
SkateOdyssey–rather,it’sawayoflife.Mostofthegroupgrewup
skating,andthey'vebeenknowntorockuptogigs,festivalsand
partiesonskates.“I'dpreferwheelstoshoesifIcouldchoose,”Andi
admits.SkateOdysseyisallaboutnurturingathrivingrollerskate
communitybyfrequentingrollerdiscos,jam-skatingeventsand
carvinguptherampsatpublicskateparks.OnceamonthonaFriday
night,thecollectiveholdsanopenskateeventatEvie’sDisco
DinerinMelbourne,andAndioffersweeklyskateclasses–all
inanattempttogettherestofusbackuponwheels.“Skating
isbothdaringandwholesome,"Andisays.“It'smakingacomeback
atthemoment,althoughitneverreallywentaway.”
Ultimately,though,attheheartofSkateOdysseyisacommitment
tocreativityandastrongsenseoffamily.“Whenwe’realltogether,
itfeelslikehome,”CitressSkateMistresssays.“Everyoneinour
gangbringsyearsofcreativeexperience,andthat’swhatkeeps
thingsspinningalong.”Thegroupalsotakesinspirationfromtheir
communityoffellowskaters–particularlytheoldestskatecrew
inAustralia,ThePacemakers,whichfeaturesmembersupto
80 yearsold.
So,what’snextforSkateOdyssey?Soonthey’llbecarvingupthe
internationalskatescenewithperformancesatMoxiSkateCamp
inLongBeach,California,andSkateLoveBarcelona,justtoname
afew.“Thebigdreamistohaveourownskatespaceininner-city
Melbourne,wherewecanholdskateeventsandfestivals,”Andi
says.“JustlikeXanadu,butmorestreet,andreal.”PhotoPeter Tarasiukmy project