LINK Dance Company presents Plan B

WAAPA has literally come up with a ‘Plan B’ for its upcoming October dance season.

The original programming, built around the dance students working with overseas and interstate guest artists, has been postponed due to Australia’s COVID travel restrictions.

Stepping in to fill the season is WAAPA’s LINK Dance Company with Plan B, a showcase of two stellar contemporary dance works at the Geoff Gibbs Theatre from 22-26 October.

Plan B features the reprise of the extraordinary Shanghai Boléro by acclaimed French choreographer Didier Théron, plusa bouyant new work from LINK’s Artistic Director Michael Whaites, the upbeat and aptly named Life.

Shanghai Boléro, created by Théron for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 and debuting in Australiain 2015, is built around one of the world’s most recognized pieces of music– Maurice Ravel’s iconic orchestral piece Boléro.

This captivating contemporary dance work uses repetition and duration to explore ideas of sensuality through three interpretations of the famous score.

Théron, who studied dance with Merce Cunningham, Dominique Bagouet and Trisha Brown, founded his own eponymous company in 1987. His work was first performed in Australia in 2010, receiving three Helpmann Award nominations.

The LINK dancers are now remounting Shanghai Boléro with Whaites and local dancer/choreographer Bernadette Lewis overseeing rehearsals at WAAPA, and Théron zooming in from his home in Montpellier, France, to watch rehearsals and provide notes.

The second work on the Plan B program is Whaites’ fabulously fun new work, Life, featuring Perth-based rock musician Michael Jelinek performing live onstage.

Whaites Explains:

This piece is an antidote for our uncertain times, celebrating our ability to thrive in the face of adversity and say ‘yes’ to life. Having Michael Jelinek playing onstage with the dancers adds an extra spark to the performance.

Whaites has been performing, choreographing and teaching for the past 35 years. He was a founding member of Dance North, worked with Twyla Tharp & Dancers and Irene Hultman Dance in New York, and was a member of the internatnowned Tanz theater Wuppertal Pina Bausch in Germany.

This LINK Dance Company season might ionally rebe called Plan B, but the choreography and contemporary dancing will be first rate, delighting audiences with its originality, artistry and technical skill. Don’t miss it – book now!

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Season Details

Venue: Geoff Gibbs Theatre
Date: 22-Oct- 26 Oct 21

For more information click HERE