QL2 Centre for Youth Dance (Canberra) and Maya Dance Theatre (Singapore)

10-12 June 2010, Gorman House Arts Centre, Canberra
17-19 June 2010, The Esplanade Theatre Studio, Singapore

McDonald’s-isation and Coco Cola-isation encourages us to choose aesthetics based on unified logos and language supported by advertising slogans. The necessary alternative is interculturalism – a democratic, authentic exchange, based on pluralism and an understanding of local-isms as well as a refusal of dominance by the English-speaking North. Theatre scholar Patrice Pavis reminds us of the contemporary imperative to theatrically represent ethnicity without racism or cultural fundamentalism. Sadly, genuine cultural transfers are rare because such transactions are usually dominated by economics and power.

QL2 Centre for Youth Dance and Maya Dance Theatre deserve to be highly celebrated for its latest modernist dance work Standing in the Order of Height.

Maya Dance Theatre, based in Singapore, was established in 2006 and is committed to creating collaborative performances that transcends borders, featuring the work of tertiary dance students. Canberra’s QL2 is the home of Quantum Leap, an auditioned dance youth ensemble and also runs programmes for 8-26 year olds. For their latest work, based on the need to match the ability of Maya’s dancers, QL2 turned to dance students from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Through this partnership, QL2 and Maya Dance Theatre aimed to build connections between students and what QL2’s Artistic Director, Ruth Osborne describes as the “wider ecology of dance”.

It was an aim that was truly successful.

In a meagre three-week rehearsal period, choreographers Kavita Krishan from Maya Dance Theatre, Ruth Osborne and Liz Lea from QL2, succeeded in portraying a kin-aesthetic understanding of culture instead of mere ethnic imitation. The employment of three choreographers in a collaborative process exemplifies the mechanics of creative decision-making within the cross-cultural rehearsal room. The aesthetic of Standing in the Order of Height consisted of the successful merging of hip-hop, salsa, (barefoot) tap and contemporary dance styles with bharatanatyam, the classical dance form originating from Southern India.

This mutual development was paralleled by the work of composers Rupak George, Adam Vetoura and Nicholas Ng who developed their original soundtracks in response to the dancers’ rehearsal process. In this way the sound perfectly complemented the dance. Unfortunately, the earthy tones of Saleem Hadi’s costume design were insensitively lit by Zaw Min Oo’s quest for bold colours.

Standing in the Order of Height explored the quest for individuality in an urban setting. This pursuit was conveyed through the notions of “samsara” – the cycle resulting from the donning of a façade that meets the expectations of others, the struggle to find the authentic self, through choices and the barriers of stereotypes. In this way, the performance fulfilled cultural exchange not only in form but also with regard to content. It was disillusioning, however, that the performance represented the effort in locating the self through the competitive belittling of others. How might individuality be achieved without rivalry? While modernist dance, in the West, has provided an alternative to the confines of classical ballet, it nevertheless appears be dominated, too, a neo – pas de deux. This couple motif was featured in Standing in the Order of Height and raises the question – can individualism be expression in relation to others beyond the confines of the heterosexual economy? Are individuality and community mutually exclusive? The performance excelled in form but the message deserved more exploration.

While QL2’s flexibility, evident in the recruitment of dancers from QUT is to be commended, the absence of local dance talent exposes the gap in local performance policy and training. It is too easy to merely dismiss this flaw in terms of Canberra being a mere regional centre. This explanation belies the prestige of local visual arts and music training. I can’t help, too, but turn to Canberra’s recent dance history and the tragic demise, in 2007, of the Australian Choreographic Centre. While the Centre was not a tertiary dance training centre, it rendered Canberra as the hub of choreographic research and development. While the cause and effect is not wholly conclusive, it is fair to assume that the artsACT’s review process informed the Australia Council’s decision to cut the Centre’s funding. It is too profound a loss to forget. Of course QL2 is a separate organisation to the Australian Choreographic Centre and QL2’s Ruth Osborne and General Manager, Gary Barnes are tirelessly gracious and would never draw negative attention to the loss of the Centre and so, be assured, this complaint is mine.

Suffice to say that the loss of the Australian Choreographic Centre and QL2’s need to liaise beyond the ACT with QUT, remind us of the state of local dance resources. Moreover, it is a testament to Osborne’s and Barne’s extraordinary vision for QL2 and their indefatigable work in identifying and securing fruitful partnerships. Further, QL2’s Standing in the Order of Height demonstrates Osborne’s triumph in interrogating aesthetics within a global economy and providing Canberran, and indeed Singaporean, audiences, for this project, with a meaningful cultural hybridisation.

*Such a product provides more than a stimulating dance experience for the spectator. QL2 as Centre for Youth Dance, is also paving the way for a true international, democratic legacy for Canberra’s youth.

Bravo, QL2, bravo!*

Credits