New Animal
Vancouver’s 605 Collective
returns to Halifax this weekend with three performances of high-energy, hip-hop
infused dance. With choreography by Dana Gingras, New Animal features a beast of a cast
that devours the stage with urgency and defiance. Recently AE caught up with
the troupe’s artistic director Josh Martin.
When and why did
you first become interested in dance?
JM: All of us became interested in dance
between the ages of 5 and 10. I started because my brother was in dance (and
then quite shortly after I joined). Lisa was put in dance because she was so
shy and her parents wanted her to explore physicality as a means of
communication, and to be more extraverted. We all ended up in studios doing all
forms from ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, modern, to musical theatre.
Are they the same
reasons that you continue to be involved today?
JM: We all started at a very young age,
so the reasons have evolved and changed, but fundamental ideas like
self-expression, imagination and creativity are still very present. With
these particular dancers I think that there is a constant interest in what the
human body is capable of, that has stayed with us all from the start.
What are the
challenges of the vocation?
JM: There are so many challenges to
being a professional creator/dancer, compounded by trying to run an actual
company. One of the constants is simply the limited financial support from
funding bodies on all levels. It really is a task of always trying to do more
with less. Dance doesn’t yet have the same widespread audiences as other art
forms like music, and so finding support to share your work, even with great
projects, remains an uphill battle for dance artists. The second is workload,
both physically and administratively. You have to play many roles to run a
company. The difficulty is getting all the “office duties” in order while still
trying to leave space for creative time in the studio, which is what we want to
be doing in the first place. For us, scheduling is a major hardship, as we work
with some amazing dancers that are in such high demand across the country. And
then the obvious is taking care of your body. Injury is a fact of life in the
dance world, and it’s devastating when it happens.
What are the
rewards?
JM: Of course, for every challenge there
is a reward and we are so lucky to be doing what we are doing. We get paid to
be creative daily, doing what we love, and meeting and being inspired by other
artists all the time. The ability to have such talented and amazing people
surrounding us is uplifting, and it pushes us to keep doing what we are doing.
We also get to travel and perform at some incredible venues and festivals,
seeing new parts of the world and the art that is made there. Other
rewards are in the challenges for our bodies and minds, being forced to stay
healthy and fit, and gaining new skills all the time. Art making is often problem
solving, and it’s a practice that makes us more capable in other aspects of our
lives.
Is your creative
process more 'inspirational' or 'perspirational'?
JM: Depends on the day! Our company has
a nice balance between the two, I think. We certainly get sweaty every day.
“Athletic, animalistic movements, survival mode, bizarre fight scenes, visceral reactions, building tension, discomfort, hopefully some empathy, and lots of lemon juice and fur… Think of us as human animals, ready to unleash and behave the way all of us would if we were not socialized…”
How has your work
evolved over the years?
JM: With each collaboration we make
evolutions, great or small. With 605 Collective, each work brings together new
groups of artists and together we push ourselves into new territory. The
mandate of our collective is to constantly evolve through new partnerships and
collaborations, and this is mainly achieved by constantly bringing new
perspectives into the creative process. While we are constantly pushing the
physicality of our work, we are also striving to make evolutions choreographically,
thematically, and more recently, dramaturgically. The experience of each
project informs and changes the next.
What have been
some highlights?
JM: People. Working with Dana Gingras,
the choreographer of New Animal, has been a big highlight. She is such
an inspiring artist and we have learned so much from her. She is so generous
and supportive, while at the same time, knowing how to challenge and push us to
extremes. We’re major fans. Our recent full-length work, Inheritor Album,
featured work by animation artist Miwa Matreyek, and she designed animation we
used as projection in the piece on top of the dance. She is so incredibly
talented, and her contribution only just scratched the surface of her
abilities, but even at that, her work really fueled us to push for imaginative
and playful movement.
What inspired New
Animal?
JM: The beginning of this project was
the desire for professional development for 605 Collective's members, and we
commissioned Dana Gingras to come work with us. New Animal stemmed from
Dana's inspiration to use the extreme physicality of each unique dancer. There
was an interest in considering the domestication of the human species – what we
come from as evolving creatures vs. how we restrain this in society, unleashing
some of the instinctual responses still embedded under our skin. We worked with
ideas of survival, fight or flight adrenaline, and territoriality…The way our
physical language still holds these feral tendencies. She wanted to use this
physicality to blur the lines between what makes us human and what beasts still
live inside of us.
What can
audiences expect to experience this weekend?
JM: Athletic, animalistic movements,
survival mode, bizarre fight scenes, visceral reactions, building tension,
discomfort, hopefully some empathy, and lots of lemon juice and fur.
What has the
response been like so far to the production?
JM: The themes of this work are so
accessible that I think most people were really able to sink their teeth into
it, and just enjoy the strange ride without looking for simple narrative. A lot
of audiences have wanted to know more about which animals we were "trying
to be", but we are essentially just trying to be truer to our innermost
instincts and impulses. Think of us as human animals, ready to unleash and
behave the way all of us would if we were not socialized. People have also
had a strong reaction to the lemons, their scent, the response created through
the action of ripping them apart.
“…many would-be-audience members are afraid of dance, especially contemporary dance, because they feel they know so little about it, or think it’s some puzzle they have to figure out… [go see dance and then] talk about dance with each other, about what you experienced, whether it was terrible or beautiful, and form opinions about specific works/choreographers, not just about dance as a general whole. We don’t go to a rock concert we didn’t enjoy and then decide we hate all music!”
What are your
thoughts on the current state of dance in Canada?
JM: That's a big question. I think
Canada should be proud of its dance community. There are some amazing artists
who make their home here, many known internationally around the world for their
work. That said, it’s sometimes disheartening to know that those artists are
often more recognized and supported/appreciated elsewhere/overseas than in
their own country. I often think that because we’re such a big place, and
touring is such an expensive endeavor, I’m unsure that all cities/communities
get the proper reflection of all of the incredible world-class creativity found
across Canada. With dance especially, there is perhaps a tipping point for
exposure, as it’s clear that in many places many would-be-audience members are
afraid of dance, especially contemporary dance, because they feel they know so
little about it, or think it’s some puzzle they have to figure out. I think
Canada is a wonderful place for dance, we just need to fight for increased
exposure in our own communities.
What can we be
doing better?
JM: Support! Not just financially, but
by encouraging everyone, our families, friends, neighbours, and colleagues, to
go see dance. And afterwards, we need to talk about dance with each other,
about what you experienced, whether it was terrible or beautiful, and form
opinions about specific works/choreographers, not just about dance as a general
whole. We don’t go to a rock concert we didn’t enjoy and then decide we hate
all music! We have to build audience that isn't just other dancers or dance
enthusiasts. We have to work on this together, as there is no quick fix.
What's next on
your creative agenda?
JM: There is a lot in the works. 605
Collective is working on a new collaborative piece with Theatre Replacement
(Maiko Bae Yamamoto and James Long) in Vancouver. We will
also be re-working and touring Inheritor Album, our recent full-length
work. The tour kicks off in Vancouver at the PuSh Festival in January 2014, and
it is extremely exciting to be representing dance in Vancouver at this
International, multi-disciplinary festival.
New
Animal
December 5-7, 8pm
Sir James Dunn Theatre, Halifax
www.liveartproductions.ca
