Expressions Dance Company (EDC) is about to hit the road for a regional tour of Queensland. The company will perform Natalie Weir’s Carmen Sweet, a contemporary dance interpretation of the original Carmen story.
Carmen Sweet features six EDC dancers and will also involve an ensemble of dancers from each regional community. It’s performed to Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite.
“Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite is absolutely gorgeous and charges on at such a fast pace. It’s cheeky, with a great deal of subtle wit, and invites the choreography to be quite tongue-in-cheek,” says Weir. “The Carmen story has all the elements for great dance; passion, love, revenge, jealously, betrayal, and even a touch of murder. It provides a fabulous night out.”
In Carmen Sweet, Weir’s femme fatale is brought to life by three dancers playing her different states of mind and alter egos. “I always try to give all the dancers really solid roles and, with the exception of the title role, there are few significant female characters that are pivotal to the story,” comments Weir. “I thought it would be interesting to see how the story unravels when you have three women take on different aspects of the Carmen persona. All of our female dancers are so individual, so strong, and so striking in their own way; I felt it would be a good challenge for them, and a fresh approach for me as a choreographer, to have three Carmens.”
Carmen Sweet will play Ipswich Civic Centre, Centre of Contemporary Arts Cairns and Empire Theatre (Toowooba) between 2 and 10 October.
Head to the EDC website for more info and bookings.
EDC's Riannon McLean, Samantha Mitchell, Elise May in Natalie Weir's Carmen Sweet. Photo: Dylan Evans.
