Expressions Dance Company (EDC) invites you to unleash your inner voyeur with the second offering from their 2017 season, ‘Behind Closed Doors’.
Billed as a poetic kiss-and-tell, ‘Behind Closed Doors’ draws audiences into the private lives of hotel staff and late night guests. Choreographed by EDC’s Artistic Director, Natalie Weir, the show gives a scintillating peek at what goes on behind hotel room doors.
‘It [the concept] stemmed from Natalie’s ideas about being in hotels, and her wondering about the anonymity of the space of the hotel room and hotels; seeing people come and go and the imagination of what people might be doing behind closed doors in those spaces,” Dancer/Assistant to the Artistic Director, Elise May says.
Promising to reveal the darkness, playfulness and fragility of human nature, ‘Behind Closed Doors’ explores the intersecting stories of the main characters. “This work is really exciting because it’s a little bit playful and quirky and voyeuristic and I think there’s something in it for everyone because it’s this really strange mixture of characters all coming together in the one place. There are heavy characters that are dealing with quite real themes and then they’re offset by these other more quirky, entertaining and slightly strange off-kilter characters. It’s pleasant to watch, but compelling theatre as well.”
Described as 'breathtakingly beautiful and athletic dance', ‘Behind Closed Doors’ showcases the highly physical partner work and organic movement style for which Natalie is known.
“In terms of it being a performance piece, the movement is technically challenging. Natalie’s signature is always this incredibly intricate partner work and that very much features in this work, as well as some really dynamic, strong group themes. It’s quite athletic and sometimes acrobatic. It’s very much a dance theatre piece.”
EDC’s six member ensemble will be joined by Chinese choreographer, Xu Yiming, who, in an Australian premiere, presented his acclaimed solo ‘Waiting Alone’ as part of EDC’s 2017 season opener, 'Propel’.
“Xu created a solo for some of our male dancers earlier this year and now he’s returned as a performer. He has had a prolific career in China and he is now an independent choreographer himself. He’s got many strings to his bow.”
Set to a soundtrack of seductive live jazz composed and performed by award winning Queensland trio, Trichotomy, ‘Behind Closed Doors’ is EDC’s second collaboration with award winning pianist and Trichotomy member, Sean Foran, Musical Director of EDC’s 2010 production, ‘While Others Sleep’.
“That was a really fruitful collaboration and so Natalie was really keen to bring him on again and further explore the possibilities with this show. The music that he and Natalie have decided is in the right vein of the work will be shaped and moulded into a score that will fit the dance, so the movement and the music should marry together really perfectly.”
Brisbane based jazz composer, arranger and educator, Rafael Karlen, will join Trichotomy on saxophone, with multi award winning jazz singer, Kristin Berardi, providing the vocals to the score.
“I think it’s the first time we will have worked with a vocalist. I’ve been told that she has got an exquisite voice, so we’re really excited.”
