Eleven dancers from Brisbane dance company Vibe Creative are struggling to keep their balance as they sweep their hands across their heads while crouching and turning full circle on the floor. It is a difficult move.
Choreographer and dance instructor Vanessa Friscia stops them and demonstrates the sequence while her dancers watch in awe.
She repeats the manoeuvre then sits down among the group and asks if they understand the emotion behind the steps. A young woman puts her hand up and hesitantly asks, “This is the swirl of emotions that come with anxiety and as we crouch down we are hiding from our fears?”
“Spot on,” Vanessa says. “That’s why it’s important that you feel the pain when you move.” The group go through the sequence again but this time you can feel the raw emotion as the dancers spin across the floor. “That’s perfect,” she says. “You guys are awesome.”
Her demonstration is clearly more than an instruction in movement, it is to help the dancers tap into the shared experience of a breakdown and the confidence to use their bodies to tell their own story.
Vanessa founded Vibe Creative in 2016 with the sole aim of exploring mental health issues through performance and she is rehearsing her fourth show, 'Tidal Wave', which examines the struggles faced by those dealing with anxiety, depression and other mental disorders and surveys the social, economic and psychological conditions that impact sufferers, their family and friends.
In 'Tidal Wave', Vanessa and her cast leverage the traditions of hip hop and contemporary dance to explore an issue seldom addressed in street culture and by combining movement with poetry – much of it inspired by cast members – the four men and seven women of the collective deliver a deeply personal, innovative, and exciting dance experience that is both uplifting and heart-wrenching.
Like many of the dancers in this workshop, Vanessa has also struggled with depression and anxiety for much of her life. It was her own personal experience which inspired her to use dance as a vehicle for happiness and she has no qualms in sharing her story. She believes her own mental health problems started when she was a teenager, but she did not recognise her dark moods as depression until she started drowning in a sea of despair.
“The way we deal with mental health in this country is appalling,” she says. “The reality is, nearly half of all Australians will experience some form of mental illness during their lifetime yet there’s still a social stigma attached to it, and shaming those who are already suffering is just cruel and counterproductive on every level.”
Vanessa hopes her latest work will give those dealing with depression a voice. “I wanted to create a show that confronts these things but does it in a way that people can relate to, still laugh and have fun,” Vanessa continues. She graduated from Raw Dance when she was 21. Dancing, she claims, helped her handle her anxiety and boost her confidence – something she wants to share with her students.
Audience members familiar with Vanessa’s previous work will recognise the bold signature dance moves which alternate with lyrical passages that convey intimate emotions and interactions between ensemble members. Those who are new to hip hop and contemporary street styles will find the visual spectacle and emotional resonance of her work captivating.
'Tidal Wave' is dark, joyful, uplifting, and heart-wrenching all at the same time. It will no doubt make you smile, and may move you to tears, but most importantly, it will leave you feeling empowered – confident that no matter what life throws at you, there is hope.
