The carefully crafted contemporary theatrical piece created by Merge Dance Theatre, ‘Left Behind’ highlights the powerful journey of pride, courage and sacrifice that women experienced as they coped with their partner away at war.
The stories of the women during this era are mostly untold. These untold stories became an important driving force for Deanna Castellana, the Artistic Director of Merge, to create this piece. “It was very important to highlight the women of the era. We often only remember the men that went to fight with ANZAC Day and things like that, and we absolutely should remember them and be thankful, but there is this untold story of how the women had to pull it together when the men were away.”
Although showcasing these untold stories was a driving force for Deanna, she explains that her students came up with the idea. “The idea came from the kids; they wanted to delve into a theatre style of dance and not just technique. They are really passionate about showcasing the stories and learning to tell a story rather than just learning steps."
As Merge works with young dancers Deanna was faced with a few difficulties. “It was a bit difficult because of the young age of the girls. Over a few months we did tasks like reading letters the women wrote to their men in order for the girls to find that inspiration, and realise that the struggles the women faced were much more than simply missing their man,” she says. “The girls really understood that these women were now faced with doing everything alone. We really spent a lot of time researching to understand the journey of the women. I even got them to dress up in the clothing of the era and write letters of their own. Those tasks allowed the girls to understand the characteristics of the women.”
Deanna explains how the extensive research and task work sets up the girls to work in a professional company. “With Merge, we really focus on the process of creating a piece. That includes all the task work and research which allows the girls to really tap into the emotions. They have already spent a lot of time in the classroom getting down their technique, which allows them really focus on the performance, which ultimately sets them up to be professionally ready to work in contemporary dance companies.”
Along with professionally preparing the girls, Deanna discusses how important it was for the girls to realise their strength. “At the moment, the company is full of women and so it was really important for us to show that women are powerful. The piece shows how powerful women can be when they pull together. I teach girls ages 15 and up, so it was important for me to teach them they have a voice and it is powerful."
With the girls gaining a lot from this piece, Deanna talks passionately about what she hopes the audiences will gain. “I don’t want people to walk away feeling sad. I don’t want the audience to feel sorry for them either, I want them to feel their power and feel empowered. I hope the feelings of strength and pride resonate with the audience.”
