Chunky Move – 247 Days
March 2013
Chunky Move Artistic Director, Anouk van Dijk, returns with her brand new production 247 Days after the successful season of her last work, An Act Of Now.
Once again exploring the dynamics of human interaction, Van Dijk’s new work invites the audience to ask themselves the deeper questions… How do they view the world and how does the world view them? Do they behave as they are expected to, or do they accept who they truly are?
Presented in conjunction with Malthouse Theatre – and as part of the 2013 Dance Massive Festival – van Dijk joins forces again with composer Marcel Wierckx and lighting designer Niklas Pajanti, as well as her group of dancers from An Act Of Now.
“An Act Of Now was very much about the dynamics within the society, or within a group or a herd,” van Dijk explains. “With 247 Days, it’s more about people being confronted with themselves and having to reflect on the images of themselves. Within that they form an even bigger group so that they can be swallowed up within the uniformity, or perhaps even stand out more individualistically. That’s the difference between the two productions.”
But the bottom line is still ‘human interaction’, as van Dijk admits, claiming the theme is something she has found fascinating throughout her career. 247 Days is both an exposing and revelatory dance-work, she states.
“Human interactions interest me in general. I’ve approached this production as research into how we relate to one another in the context of the broader society, but also how that reflects back into our private experiences. This is very much related to physicality because what happens around you will affect you physically… If something stresses you out, it will make you crack up! If something distressing happens, you need a hug – so your physical environment will always impact on your physical body and the way you feel, your reaction. There is always a connection between the environment, the physical body and its movement.”
What makes 247 Days particularly unique is the “Australianness” of the performance. Featuring an exclusive all-Aussie cast of dancers, van Dijk claims she has never been involved in a show that was anything quite like this.
“It’s Australian-only performers in the show and most of the time I work with a very international cast of people. I’ve only done two other shows with exclusively one nationality – once in Russia and once in China. What makes this show completely unique, though, is that Australians as individuals have very different backgrounds and come from different cultures. As kids, Australians go to school together and learn the same songs in childhood and so on, there is a connection, but at the same time within that, they have roots from their parents who may be Vietnamese or Indian. They don’t necessarily share the same backgrounds. In China, for example, everyone shares the same language as well as culture and roots. Australia is not like that, and I find that very inspiring.”
247 Days will show at the Merlyn Theatre, The Malthouse from March 15 until 23, as part of Dance Massive 2013.
dancemassive.com.au
Images:
247 Days Rehearsals – Tara Soh and Leif Helland.
247 Days Rehearsals – James Pham, Tara Soh and Alya Manzart.
Photos by Hamish Lane
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