Dancenorth Tomorrow Makers takes a creative leap into the unknown
Dancenorth’s new production is a chance for the audience to “let go” of needing to understand the meaning of the performance and immerse themselves in their own interpretation.
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Townsville audiences will be enticed into a creative leap into the unknown for the latest instalment of Dancenorth’s Tomorrow Makers series next month.
Featuring work created by the world-renowned dance company’s collective ensemble Tomorrow Makers 7 is a vivid collage of dance curated by Dancenorth’s Associate Artistic Director Amber Haines.
She said the audiences could expect to be into six, ten-minute worlds of magic, presence, and surprise.
“Moving beyond traditional narrative, these beautifully evocative, meticulously crafted choreographies offer a sensorial feast,” Haines said.
“Audiences are invited to let go of the need to ‘understand’ the work. There’s not always a clear story or defined characters. Instead, we hope audiences connect with their own interpretation – whatever thoughts or feelings bubble to the surface for each viewer are true and correct.”
She said each of the six works had eclectic themes.
“Yet a thread runs through them – world-making that invites wonderment,” Haines said.
“Each work sheds light on the unseen, or delightfully transforms the familiar to shift perception in unexpected ways.
“Presently, first-time Tomorrow Maker, Jag Popham is creating a character-led work inspired by an Enid Blyton character and explores what is possible when we shake off societal expectations and really live for ourselves.
“Damian Meredith, who’s been involved in several Tomorrow Makers now, is revisiting an alternative universe, Trash World, and will hold Trash Craft workshops where the community can help build the set in the weeks prior to the show.
“Some of the pieces will be tightly choreographed, others will give dancers the freedom to improvise within a contained set of parameters,” she said.
Haines said the ensemble dancers’ compulsion to create the individual works was born from a deep desire to share and to offer something of themselves to others.
“They understand, intuitively and fundamentally, that dance and art can play an integral role in how society processes experience, how we make sense of, feel through, and respond to the world around us,” she said.
“Embodiment and creative expression are not just artistic practices, they are forms of connection, reflection, and social cohesion.
“In creating their own work, they are not only making art, they are making space: for shared experience, for contemplation, and for resonance.”
She said that while she was curating the work the dancers had complete creative control over what they create.
“While there are practical parameters, such as the length of the work and the shared performance space – the ideas are all their own and they’re encouraged to explore them in whichever ways they choose.
“The work isn’t pre-shaped to satisfy the expectations of a grant application or commercial trends. It’s allowed to emerge through process, discovery, and risk.
“I always invite the artists to interrogate their why. Beyond the internal desire to create, I ask: What is the experience for the audience? Why is this work being called into being now? What does it serve?”
She said it was vital for the future of dance that established companies actively create space for emerging artists to make work.
“With the independent sector under immense pressure, opportunities for vibrant, resonant, and meaningful voices to engage in full creation processes are becoming increasingly rare.
“Dancenorth champions Tomorrow Makers as one of its annual highlights, an offering that not only uplifts emerging makers but also invigorates the broader community.
“Being privy to the inner workings of these relevant, thoughtful, and wildly talented artists breathes new life into this city. Audiences relish its freshness and immediacy.
“It is a reciprocal gift, mutual exchange between artist, institution, and audience. And in times like these, spaces that offer connection, vitality, and imagination feel more essential than ever,” Haines said.
Tomorrow Makers 7 runs at the Dancenorth Theatre from May 22-24 and for tickets go to dancenorth.com.au/works/tomorrow-makers-7
Originally published as Dancenorth Tomorrow Makers takes a creative leap into the unknown
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