The centenary of the ANZAC’s Gallipoli campaign has been commemorated in a variety of ways during 2015, but Quantum Leap, Canberra’s youth dance ensemble, is taking a different approach. The company will explore the myths and realities of war through Ruth Osborne’s contemporary dance work, Reckless Valour.
Reckless Valour pays homage to the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. It invites us to contemplate nationhood, service, and sacrifice; and to celebrate the power of young people to shape the future and to seek out what war means to Australians, especially young Australians. First performed in 2005, Reckless Valour was created in association with the Australian War Memorial. “Even when you talk about a war that happened 100 years ago, you’re still talking about people’s families, or about national identity,” says Osborne.
Reckless Valour has been reworked and extended for 2015, with a new section created choreographer James Batchelor— who was in the original cast and is enjoying success as a dance artist both at home and overseas. This year’s Quantum Leap ensemble is made up of 32 young men and women aged from 14 to 22 – falling into the age of many young soldiers enlisted in the First World War; with visitors from Perth, Bangkok and Philippines joining locals from the Canberra region.
Reckless Valour will be presented at the Canberra Playhouse, 29 July - 1 August. Bookings: www.canberratheatre.com.au