Gardens TheaTre 2 George street
BrIsBane QLd australia 4000
Ph. (07) 3138 4455 or [email protected] www.gardenstheatre.qut.edu.au
PaTrOns PLease nOTe
To ensure that all patrons enjoy the performance Management asks you to note:
• Camera, tape recorders and paging devices should not be used inside the auditorium.
• switch off alarms and mobile phones prior to the performance.
• a single cough measures approximately 65 decibels of sound.
• Management reserves the right to refuse admission, also to make any alterations in the program which may be rendered necessary by illness or other unavoidable causes.
eVaCUaTIOn
PaTrOns are advised that Gardens TheaTre has an eMerGenCY eVaCUaTIOn PrOCedUre, a FIre aLarM system and eXIT escape signs. In the case of an alert, patrons should remain calm, look for the closest eXIT sign in Green, listen to and comply with the directions given by theatre staff, and move in an orderly manner to the open spaces outside Gardens TheaTre
CrICOs no. 00213J
© QUT 2011 Produced by QUT Precincts
7 - 11 June
Essentially Dance 11
FOREWORD
Welcome to essenTIaLLY danCe 2011. This year’s exciting program will showcase our students’ talents through a range of contemporary dance works. The program’s choreographers bring a rich diversity of backgrounds and experiences to the performance arena, from the established practices of shaaron Boughen, Leigh Warren and Grant McLay, to the emerging choreographic practices of Timothy Farrar and expressions dance Company members riannon McLean and richard Causer and the exploratory work of research Masters student Tiina alinen.
essentially dance provides a rich learning opportunity for our students and this year’s season has certainly delivered, facilitating artistic growth and professional development for all involved. Our first year students have risen to the challenge offered by Leigh Warren’s work, riannon McLean and richard Causer have inspired the second years with a new dynamic work and Timothy Farrar and Grant McLay have created works that showcase the third year students’ artistry and versatility.
Many of our graduating students will soon embark on a trip to China to participate in the prestigious Guangdong Modern dance Festival, an exciting artistic and cultural exchange opportunity. They will be performing shaaron Boughen’s work …. as velvet empties into purple…, so we have remounted it for this season in preparation for their China performances.
2010 saw the retirement of our highly respected leader, shaaron Boughen. The dance staff and students have benefited from shaaron’s creativity, generosity and passion for over 20 years. shaaron has accepted a position as adjunct Professor, which will ensure that we continue to profit from her expertise. On behalf of my colleagues, students past and present and the broader dance community, I sincerely thank shaaron and wish her all the best as she embarks on this next exciting phase of her career.
We hope that you will enjoy this evening and thank you for your ongoing support.
avril huddy discipline Leader
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PRODUCED FOR THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES FACULTY BY QUT PRECINCTS director PrOF. PeTer LaVerY
Operations Manager JILL sTandFIeLd Marketing Officer JaCLYn TaYLOr Production Coordinator JeFF WarnICK senior Theatre Technician andreW earLe Theatre Technician JOn harrIsOn Workshop supervisor Brendan WrIGhT administration Officer eMMa CaIn
Front-of-house Officer MIChaeLa BanKs
QUT CREATIVE INDUSTRIES TECHNICAL PRODUCTION STAFF Technical Production Coordinator GeOrGe MeIJer
Lecturer - Technical Production / new Media MaTT deLBrIdGe associate Lecturer - stage Management CarLY O’neILL
1st YEAR PERFORMANCE ena Besic
asher Bowen-saunders skye Burkin
Jake Chapman hsiao Ting Chen Caitlin Cross rebecca Giles hayley Kerr Chloe Lanham Zachary Lopez Georgina Munton amelia skin Michael smith Georgia White Khadi Wolf- Brooke
2nd YEAR PERFORMANCE Maya Birve
shauna Browne hsiao-Ya Chen Luke Currie richardson robert Flehr
Isobel Larkin sharon Lee Matthew nguyen Kirri Webb
3rd YEAR PERFORMANCE emma Barnet
Michelle Barnett danika Butler siobhan dumigan Bridget ewart Lauren Grow Christina hayes Jake Kuzma Katrina Little emma Marren ashleigh Musk Jaslyn reader Portia risson Tehillah ross Courtney scheu Trudy schofield Jacob Williams Kellie Wilson BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS (DANCE PERFORMANCE)
BEN HUGHES – Lighting Designer
Ben is one of Brisbane’s leading lighting designers, whose work spans a wide variety of performance styles and genres. Ben has designed lighting for companies including Queensland Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre Company, Brisbane Powerhouse, Queensland Ballet, Metro Independants, stella electrika, Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary arts, Gold Coast arts Centre, Kooemba djarra, JUTe Theatre, The Forward Movement, QPaC, Brisbane Cabaret Festival and raw dance Company. Ben also regularly works as an associate Lighting designer and Lighting realiser, and is currently an affiliate artist with Queensland Theatre Company and an associate artist with Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre.
HANNAH GARTSIDE — Costume Designer
In 2007 hannah Gartside gained a BFa in Fashion design from QUT. hannah was a finalist of the australian Fashion Graduate of the Year award. In 2010 hannah gained a BFa hons in Fashion design from QUT. she currently works at a costume maker and dresser for the Queensland Ballet and occasionally runs workshops on re-making Fashion with the Brisbane City Council. Gartside has worked with QUT dance since 2008.
KIARA BULLEY — Costume Designer
Kiara graduated from QUT’s BFa Fashion in 2008. Following graduation she was nominated for the Graduate of the Year award at the Mercedes Brisbane Fashion Festival, where she showed her graduate collection. In 2009 she began working in the costume departments of both Queensland Ballet and Queensland Theatre Company, and was also the Costume designer and head of Wardrobe for the Brisbane Powerhouse production of The True Story of Butterfish. Kiara has completed her honours year in Fashion, while also working as designer and Costumier for QUT dance.
QUT CREATIVE INDUSTRIES DANCE STAFF 2010, SEMESTER 1 FULL-TIME
CsaBa BUdaY Lecturer in Contemporary Technique, Choreography, MFa study area Coordinator sUsan CaULFIeLd-LeCLerCQ Production Coordinator, Lecturer in Ballet
aVrIL hUddY discipline Leader, Lecturer in Contemporary Technique, alignment eVan JOnes Lecturer in Ballet
raCheL PedrO study area Coordinator, Lecturer in dance Theory, Latin dance KYM sTeVens Lecturer in Primary education
SESSIONAL
MarK BrInKLeY Ballet Technique TraCeY CarrOdOs Ballet Technique FIOna CULLen Contemporary Technique nICOLe GaLea academic Tutor, Ballet Technique WendY LaraGhY Ballet Technique
Vanessa MaFe-Keane Choreographic studies, Ballet Technique CharLOTTe CUTTInG digital Media
sKYe seWeLL Choreographic studies naThan TIGhT Yoga
LIsa WILsOn Contemporary Technique
ChanThaLah WeBsTer-TIGhT Yoga, anatomy Tutor GranT McLaY Contemporary Technique
DANCE ADMINISTRATION aIsha dIXOn
PASS TEAM (PEAK ACHIEVEMENT SKILLS AND STRATEGIES) VaLQUIrIa OLIVeIra Massage Therapist
Jan sMITh Physiotherapist, anatomy Lecturer GeOrGIa rIddLer sports and dance Psychologist ACCOMPANISTS
BrIan adaMsOn LOVInIa dICKens sTeVe FranCIs BreTT FOWLer daVId MULLer aLICe TrOTTer
RIANNON MCLEAN — Choreographer
riannon completed a diploma in dance Performance at the new Zealand school of dance in Wellington. she has worked with Merenia Grey dance Company, dance north dance Company, australian dance Theater, restless dance Company and LdTX Beijing.
riannon joined expressions dance Company in 2007 and has performed and toured in 12 company productions; most recently performing natalie Weir’s solo Herself for solo Festival of dance. riannon choreographed her first work for dance north dance Company in 2002 as part of Original Spins. she then went on to work with ‘red - i’
dance Company that she founded with fellow dancer nadine MacLean, choreographing in London for the Place’s annual resolution series 2005-2006. riannon created Gold solo for Cecchetti medal tests in 2009 and Contemporary Tableau for Cecchetti conference 2010.
RICHARD CAUSER — Choreographer
richard’s choreographic work Delirium opened the national design conference ‘4um?
advertising and design asia Pacific’ and was also presented at the 2005 Malaysian dance Festival in Kuala Lumpur. In 2006 richard both performed and was a featured choreographer in Cheryl stock’s Accented Body (Brisbane Festival). richard was a member of expressions dance Company performing in the Brisbane season of Memory and Jigsaw, Maggi sietsma’s On Thin Ice and natalie Weir’s Where The Heart Is.
richard has embarked on several Queensland tours as well as international tours and most recently embarked on a cultural exchange with LdTX Modern dance Company in Beijing (China).
richard performed in the Paris Opera’s Bolero as part of their Gala season in 2009 and also played the role of assistant Choreographer for the 2009 QPaC season of the musical Eurobeat- Almost Eurovision. richard has choreographed two works Pitch and Entity for The aboriginal Centre of Performing arts (aCPa) and has recently choreographed his own solo for expressions dance Company’s Solo Festival. richard has featured in music film clips by John Butler Trio, darren hayes, Powderfinger, The Living end, Megan Washington and sleepy Jackson.
GRANT MCLAY — Choreographer
Grant McLay has worked with expressions dance Company and the Queensland Ballet Company and has taught in various universities and institutions. after working in Phantom of the Opera in London, and the australia tour, Grant travelled to north america and europe with Meryl Tankard’s australian dance Theatre, performing in Furioso and Possessed. Grant has worked with scottish dance Theatre, Carol Brown dances and emilyn Claid in the UK and Maiden Voyage dance Company in Belfast.
he has worked extensively with rex Levitates dance Company in Ireland, including a co-production between rex Levitates and the national Ballet of China, Beijing and the edinburgh Fringe Festival.
TIMOTHY FARRAR — Choreographer
Timothy Farrar began his choreographic career with Queensland Ballet in 2000.
While performing with The australian Ballet he initiated choreographic workshops and launched the company’s in-house choreographic season Body Torque with his work Quick/Time/Trick. This work was further developed with singapore dance Theatre in the Ballet Under The Stars initiative. Timothy’s contemporary works A Little Disconnect, Resolution and This Tense were performed by The australian Ballet as part of the annual Body Torque seasons held at The sydney Theatre from 2005 to 2007.
In 2010 Timothy was awarded Best new Choreography at the short and sweet dance Festival in sydney for his duet Few Things Of The Same Kind and this year created No Place Nowhere for expressions dance Company.
PRODUCTION TEAM
dance Production Coordinator sUsan CaULFIeLd–LeCLerCQ Lighting designer Ben hUGhes
Costume designers hannah GarTsIde, KIara BULLeY
Costume Constructors CarLa BInOTTO, BIanCa BULLeY, KIara BULLeY, han MaI set Construction Brendan WrIGhT
stage Manager FIOna MCKeOn*
deputy stage Managers KIrBY eLMsLY*, PIP LOTh*
assistant stage Manager aMY BrIGGs*
head electrician CLarK COrBY*
Lighting Operator MIa sChaCK*
Floor electrician anThOnY sPInaZe*
sound and aV Coordinator harLeY Mann*
sound Operator Kane ernsT*
aV Operator andreW sTePhens*
Floor sound PeTer rhOades*
Production assistant - set/Flys Ben sIeBUhr*
Crew ashLeIGh BOULden*, aMY FUrMan*, JULIa KrOhn*, aLeXandra MILes*, JOeL reddInG*, sarah rOBerTsOn*, MIChaeL rOGersOn*
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
SHAARON BOUGHEN — Choreographer, Costume Designer MA Uni of Kent, BA(Hons) Laban Centre, UK
shaaron Boughen is an adjunct associate Professor in the Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, australia. she recently retired from the head of dance position at QUT end of 2010 and is currently involved in research projects and postgraduate supervision. shaaron has an extensive practice as a choreographer, designer and curator. she has collaborated with architects, musicians, fashion designers and digital media forms and has an extensive design background from theatre works to product launches to pyrotechnics also designing costumes for works by many leading australian choreographers. shaaron is the Queensland dance critic for The australian and has published in realtime, Innovation In australian arts Media & design and Currency Companion To Music and dance In australia.
* Indicates QUT Creative Industries Technical Production student
A NOTE FROM THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Late last year saw the retirement of a long-term friend of Technical Production, shaaron Boughen. On behalf of current students of Technical Production, colleagues and graduates of and across many, many years — it is fitting, in this program, to acknowledge the enormous role shaaron has played in inspiring creativity, strength and aspirations for technical prowess in the TechProd student cohort. as a Choreographer, Costume designer and Overseer of all things dance, we say thank you for your dedication to the work, performance and production, in a true spirit of collaboration and in an atmosphere of intense teaching and learning.
From the staff, over-the-years and current, we pay homage to your wicked sense of humor, devilish remarks...
and the long days and the late nights “in it together”.
George Meijer
Technical Production Coordinator TIINA ALINEN — Choreographer
Tiina alinen was born on aboriginal land and lives in contemporary australia with acknowledgement for aboriginal cultural heritage. Tiina strongly identifies with her Finnish cultural heritage. With her community... life is experienced through choreography, teaching, dancing, community life, mothering, massage therapy, photography and filmmaking. as a multi modal life practitioner, Tiina lives the embodied book...
connecting with culture, people and land through dance.
Most recently Tiina held the position of head of Contemporary dance at the new Zealand school of dance for 2008-2009. her professional leadership includes many arts projects funded by local, state and federal grants she has initiated, created and developed within australia and the south Pacific.
Currently Tiina is undertaking postgraduate studies through an Ma (research) at Creative Industries, QUT. her research interest is how connection to land from an Indigenous perspective can inform and support the creative process toward dance making and performance.
LEIGH WARREN — Choreographer
Artistic Director & Choreographer, Leigh Warren and Dancers
Leigh Warren trained at the australian Ballet school and then graduated to the australian Ballet. In his final year with the company he was awarded the first Churchill scholarship for the Performing arts, which he completed at the Juilliard school of Music, new York.
Leigh’s distinguished performing career included stints with Ballet rambert, the netherlands dance Theatre and nureyev and Friends. In 1993 Leigh formed his own company - Leigh Warren & dancers. The company has performed for audiences in holland, singapore, London, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and all states of australia.
aBC TV has filmed a number of Leigh’s works including Lure (1994), Shimmer and Tehillium (1999), and in 2000 Leigh was choreographic adviser for spectre de la rose in Paul Cox’s film The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky. Leigh and his company have received numerous awards, including the inaugural adelaide Critics Circle award, four australian dance awards, the sidney Myer Performing arts award and four Green room awards.
In 2007, Warren was presented with a prestigious ruby award from the south australian Government for sustained Contribution by an Individual.
Pint Size
Choreography Timothy Farrar in collaboration with the Third Year students rehearsal director avril huddy
Lighting design Ben hughes Costume design hannah Gartside
Music aaron Martin, ezio Bosso, sascha Budinski Cast 3rd Year BFa dance Performance
Created in collaboration with the 3rd Year QUT students, Pint Size is a work that reflects on how we see our families, how they shape us and the influence they can have on us as individuals. The design of the work is heavily influenced by Jan Family, a collaborative visual artist group whose aim is to create alternatives to everyday routines while also looking at different ways to interact with our environment.
Between seconds Choreography Grant McLay Lighting design Ben hughes Costume design Kiara Bulley Music anonymous
Cast 3rd Year BFa dance Performance
I woke at 4am one morning only to fall back asleep and proceeded to have a full length feature movie for a dream. It seemed to go on forever. I then suddenly woke up thinking I had slept through my alarm, to my surprise it was only 4:01am. subconsciously we make decisions every second. so what if we?
The Eve of Feasting
Choreography riannon McLean & richard Causer rehearsal director sue Leclercq
Lighting design Ben hughes Costume design Kiara Bulley
Music rene aubry, Cibo Matto, steve Jablonsky, Michael Galasso Cast 2nd Year BFa dance Performance
‘They consumed their pleasure & devoured their sorrow & on the Eve of the fest, their taste was of sin’.
Thank you to natalie Weir and expressions dance Company. Thank you to QUT staff and especially to susan Leclercq.
Thank you to our 2nd year students for their wonderful input and commitment to this piece, and for their unwavering smiles when devouring mouthfuls of apples weren’t their first choice of fruit!
Dirt
Choreography Tiina alinen Lighting design Ben hughes Costume design Kari, hannah Gartside Music Varttina, Gotan Project, Men at Work Textual advisor Jo Loth
Film editor Chloe speller
Photography Choreographer’s family
Cast and Co-Creatives anja ali-haapala, nicola stavar, emmy steiner, Bonny Yarrington
This work emerged out of a desire to explore my connection to the land of my birth. I was born on Kalkadoon country, australia and my cultural heritage is the southern savonia region and the Gulf of Finland. I am a first generation aussie born Finn.
Kiitos to the cast, my family, deb, Teina and his whanau, the noho and Toi Whakaari, Carita, dan, L222 community, Warren, Kevin, sam, Leisel, Leon, ed community and shaaron.
Audience survey – You are invited to participate in this project. as an audience member, your response to the work will offer invaluable feedback to the research. Please put your survey response in the box provided in the foyer. Kiitos...
Never Mind the Bindies
Choreography Leigh Warren
Produced and rehearsed by Csaba Buday Lighting design Ben hughes
Costume design Leigh Warren
Music adam synnott after drums of Chaos Cast 1st Year BFa dance Performance
“The inspiration for Bindies evolved from my fascination with the ability of dance to induce a trance state through relentless rhythm and movement. The aim was to draw the audience into the hypnotic web of ritual through repetition of movement phrases. The minds and bodies of the dancers become one, enabling them to push themselves beyond the normal boundaries of human architecture, which in turn releases the spirit, leaving the dancers exhausted yet ecstatic.”
Leigh Warren
Interval – 20 minutes
... as velvet empties into purple...
Choreography shaaron Boughen
Lighting designer: Original design david Murray, reconstructed by Ben hughes Music Jon hassell
Costume designer shaaron Boughen Cast 3rd Year BFa dance Performance
I have been interested in the nature of experience, of sensation in artwork rather than meaning making directly and have taken inspiration for this work from drawings 1997-2003 by anish Kapoor. We have created a movement experience using sensation for sense making rather than narrative or contextual cues for meaning making. In this way, how may what might seem as nonsense - how can velvet ever empty into purple - step beyond the world of logical connection and challenge through abstraction. Like Kapoor’s abstract drawings, the abstract movement vocabulary of contemporary dance is apprehended directly through the senses and it is the individual’s imagination that becomes the force for comprehension.
