Known for distinct athleticism and precision, as well as striking choreographic images, Stephanie Lake is using her company to support the work of independent dance artists. Lake has curated ESCALATOR, a program of independent choreographers creating new works to premiere in August 2023. Presented in partnership with The Abbotsford Convent, a multi-arts precinct in Abbotsford, Melbourne, the program features six Naarm/Melbourne based choreographers.
“I want to use the platform that we have as a company to get the audience looking at other choreographer’s work,” says Lake. The choreographers in ESCALATOR are “independent and at the beginning of their choreographic journey. Just making their first full length work, or self-producing for the first time.”
One of the ESCALATOR choreographers is Luke Currie-Richardson, who is a is a descendant of the Kuku Yalanji and Djabugay peoples, the Muunjali Clan of South East QLD, the Butchulla clan of Fraser Island and the Meriam people of the Eastern Torres Straits Islands. He describes his work as an exploration “of a First Nations man in today’s society who fight against the structures, negative stereotypes and engrained racism that imprison us.”
The choreographers in ESCALATOR are “diverse in breadth of choreographic styles, but also culturally diverse,” says Lake. “We wanted to make sure it wasn’t just once voice. We want it to be a show that can reach a lot of different people. We have choreographers who are brilliant humourists – which is a hard thing to do, choreographers with a political focus – that have powerful things to say, we have people who are interested in improvisation – wildness, and those interested in choreographic precision.”
ESCALATOR choreographer Kady Mansour says, “I don’t have the intention to connect with the other pieces but rather to see how they sit alongside each other. I can only assume that us all performing together will highlight the incredible diversity of our practices.”
ESCALATOR choreographer Kayla Douglas has been drawn to creating work at the convent for some time. “The history contained within the space is what drew me towards it, particularly the way in which it reflects the societal expectations of women at that time,” Douglas says. “The two performers and I feel like that this palpable energy is inviting us to disrupt essentialist expectations of female presenting people.”
Of the Magdalene laundry, the central location for the works, Lake says, “It’s a bit punk, it’s not super clean, it’s got an edge to it, it feels a bit more raw, it feels like a good match for what we are trying to do. The works are a first impulse. It’s not supposed to be a super slick production; it feels like a good space for that.”
For more information, visit www.stephanielake.com.au and abbotsfordconvent.com.au. To book tickets, head to events.humanitix.com/escalator-stephanie-lake-company-abbotsford-convent.
By Tamara Searle of Dance Informa.
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