Next Wave hits Northcote
Over the next couple of weeks, Northcote Town Hall will host three dance works, presented as part of Next Wave Festival.
First up is PASSING, a work presented by indigenous performing artists Amrita Hepi, a Sydney-based contemporary dancer and Jahra Wasasala (NZ), an Auckland-based spoken word poet and contemporary dancer. PASSING explores the societal pressures that come from being of mixed cultural background, using the notion of racial passing as the catalyst in a series of movement monologues, spoken word passages and physical conversations. PASSING opens a window to Hepi and Wasasala’s personal experience of how coming to culture doesn't always happen traditionally. PASSING plays Northcote Town Hall until 18 May.
[MIS]conceive, by Sydney-based performer and choreographer Thomas E.S. Kelly and Desert Body Creep, by Sydney-based dancer and choreographer Angea Goh, will both play 17-22 May.
[MIS]conceive, Kelly’s full-length choreographic debut, explores and explodes misconceptions of indigeneity and the misconceptions and prescriptions of what it is to be a young urban Aboriginal person in Australia. Combining contemporary and traditional dance techniques with hip hop, vocal work and physical percussion, [MIS]CONCEIVE studies misconceptions around what an Aboriginal person looks, sounds and acts like in modern society. “The Aboriginal culture attracts many preconceived ideas from all walks of life, whether it’s a tourist, third generation Australian, or even from other Indigenous people,” remarks Kelly. “These misperceived identities create walls and divides, which in turn make it very difficult for Australian’s to unite and to create a future based on reconciliation. Knowledge is power, and I plan to use my knowledge to empower those who are open to learn... I want to live in a world where my cultural identity isn’t brought into question,” Kelly continues. “A world where cultural acceptance and awareness is the norm amongst Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, and where Indigenous youth learn about their culture and non-Indigenous may also learn without prejudice and preconceived notions.”
Goh’s Desert Body Creep re-positionions the worm as an allegory for transformation and renewal. In this solo work, Goh creates a landscape of choreographic images that reference the extensive history of worms in our cultural imagination, from mythology, literature and film – from the sand worms of Dune, to the Graboids from Tremors, the mythic ouroboros, and the worms that wind their way through H.P. Lovecraft's writing. Goh will be joined on stage by a giant gummi worm, animated through puppetry techniques. This loveable worm invites audiences to rethink worms, transforming them from horrific nightmare fodder to sweet creatures that transmute waste into fertile earth.
For more information about these and other Next Wave performances go to 2016.nextwave.org.au