Pick'n'Mix:The Dance Selection/The Night before

I haven't had time to post updates about Pick'n'Mix. It's been a lot of work but tonight as I locked up, I felt calm and pleased by what we've achieved and hopeful that it will be ok tomorrow.




Yesterday Stephanie Schober rehearsed with her dancer weaving a complex pattern thoughtful energy between the Woolworths' columns.




Today I watched Seeta Patel and Kamala Devam rehearse in the Woolworths for the first time. I'd assumed that because they'd be coming late to the space that they mightn't be able to engage with it but they saw possibilities for how to insert the work into the building in a way that excites them and enhances the work in an unexpected way





Later Shahla came so we could finish off the piece I've made with her, called For Woolworths, and choreographed among the letters of the shop signage.



We rehearsed at the same time as Dean James whose dancers were leaping over the cash register and we passed the baton to Bettina Strickler whose performer Elisabeta D'Aloia was twirling a sweeping brush to Strauss when I left for dinner. By the time I got back, Bettina was imagining ball gowns and feathered head-dresses instead of sweeping brushes and I love that the space has encouraged a sense of playfulness and experimentation. I was happy too to have helped create a space where these choreographers could work side by side, generously, creatively and in that spirit, share their work with the audience tomorrow.

Because this spirit is the most important thing for me, I've resisted all of pressures that I feared would compromise the openness on which this spirit thrives. My job was to create a structure to support and avoid strictures that would stifle. I'm sure that's not the way to get things done in other circumstances, but being in a Woolworths allows me to adapt the rules.