| Wanderlust | Leigh Warren & Dancers |
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 Tomohiko Tsujimoto, Uno Man & Mako Kawano. Photo - Hiroyasu Daido
This October the curtain will finally go up in Australia on the highly anticipated new production, Wanderlust
- an exquisitely conceived, cross-cultural collaboration between two
masters of contemporary dance – South Australia’s own award-winning
choreographer, Leigh Warren & celebrated Japanese choreographer/director, Uno Man.
A work of rare poetic beauty, Wanderlust will have its
Australian debut in Adelaide from October 3 – 6 at the Dunstan
Playhouse - as part of the Adelaide Festival Centre’s inaugural OzAsia
Festival and within its Pivot(al) dance program. It will then be
performed at the Canberra Theatre Centre on October 11 & 12.
Over two years in the making, Wanderlust draws its inspiration from the classic text ‘The Narrow Road to a Far Province’ - by acclaimed haiku poet, Basho. It brilliantly combines Uno Man’s unique style of expressing pathos & humour through Butoh-based movements with Warren’s
poetic imagery & technical virtuosity. A fusion of modern screen
media & technologies, the production has been artistically
fulfilling for its creators.
“Uno Man and I first met in 1996 when we worked together on a production for the Hakushu Art Camp,” says Warren. “The
seeds of Wanderlust were sown in the early conversations we shared
about each other’s dance styles and techniques and discussions we had
about the distinct and rich cultures of our two countries.”
The fact that Uno Man and Warren reside in two
different hemispheres certainly presented the pair with some distinct
challenges in the production’s initial creative development stages.
“The entire production team was only physically in the same studio
together for two rehearsal periods – but somehow, we managed to
overcome both the geographical hurdles and the language barrier – and
in many ways – those challenges pushed us even further creatively,” says Warren.
Wanderlust was first performed in Japan in October last year –
as part of the 2006 Australia Japan Dance Exchange – attracting
critical acclaim. The Australian production will star Deon Hastie & Jo Roads from Leigh Warren & Dancers and Japanese artists Mako Kawano, Tomohiko Tsujimoto & Uno Man
himself – and enlists the skills of a stellar creative team comprising
three immensely talented Adelaidians: multiinstrumentalist Stuart Day (composer); India Flint (costumier) & Nic Mollison (lighting design) and – from Japan - the brilliantly innovative, Tetsutoshi Tabata (visual design/screen media).
“Tetsu is a pioneer in his field,” says Warren. “He
studied Butoh dance theatre before getting involved with dance
performance and stage art. He’s a genius with multimedia and the use of
computer graphics and animation to create a myriad of textures,
lighting and kinetic effects.”
Between the performances of Wanderlust in Adelaide and
Canberra, the production’s creative team will head to Melbourne for a
two-day program of creative exchange and workshops at Melbourne’s
Dancehouse on October 8 & 9.
Leigh Warren & Dancers presents
Wanderlust
ADELAIDE
Venue: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Dates: October 3, 4, 5 & 6, 2007
Time: 8.00pm
Tickets: $38 per person; $28 concession
Bookings: Book at BASS on 131 246 or www.bass.net.au
CANBERRA
Venue: The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre
Dates: October 11 & 12, 2007
Time: 8.00pm
Tickets: $40 per person; $35 concession; $25 U27, $22
ClubT/Child (16 years & under); $15.00 per person School Groups
(minimum numbers apply)
Bookings: Canberra Ticketing on 02 6275 2700 or www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au
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