Dance
R E N O C L A F A R A M
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CHOREOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH Christine Devaney, artistic director of Scottish contemporary dance company Curious Seed, tells us all about her new production, PUSH
What made you want to be a choreographer? I’ve honestly never thought ‘I want to be a choreographer’, but I knew I loved dancing and always relished being involved in the creative process and contributing to other choreographers’ visions. I was with V-tol for nine years, and gradually as the company developed I contributed more and more choreographically. After that company disbanded I had a very strong urge to create my own work, for me to try to ‘say’ something. So I tried. I’m trying. And as dance is my passion I do it with dance at the heart of what I create.
What was the inspiration behind PUSH? In the beginning it was the image of a young girl on a swing, a wall and the feelings that are stirred up in me when I watch the news. I watch the news more now than ever, mostly because my partner watches and listens to the news A LOT. I wanted to use some of the questions and complex feelings that come up for me rather than push them aside. I don’t necessarily want the show to be representational of this. I also wanted to work with Luke Sutherland again and we both wanted to work with a cellist and so it rolled on. Another starting point was the physicality of pushing, pulling, resisting and yielding. These seemed like a metaphor for living! Coping, questioning and delighting in everyday life. What do you look for in a dancer? That they love to move and are interesting and interested. That they’re not afraid of being fragile and that they can perform without showing their leotard – metaphorically !
What do you hope audiences will take away from PUSH? Gosh. Feelings, thoughts, images that they can’t quite pin down just with words. ■ PUSH, Platform, Glasgow, Fri 17 & Sat 18 Feb, then touring.
112 THE LIST 2 Feb–1 Mar 2012
PREVIEW CLASSICAL BALLET BALLET WEST: SWAN LAKE Macrobert, Stirling, Sat 4 Feb; Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Thu 9 Feb
When you’ve left school and moved onto a new life, going back to where it all began could feel like a backward step. If the school in question is in a beautiful location – the Scottish Highlands – it starts to sound more appealing. Throw in a fantastic career with some of Britain’s most esteemed ballet companies, and the love of your life waiting back home, and Sara-Maria Smith’s decision starts to make perfect sense.
Having trained at Ballet West in Taynuilt, Smith went on to dance with English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet, before heading back up north to take up her joint role as principal dancer and teacher at the school.
‘The training at Ballet West gave me an excellent technique, and the opportunities I had for performing
were wonderful and really helped me when I began working with large companies,’ says Smith. ‘I didn’t enjoy living in London, and I’d also met my future husband in Argyll. I was very interested in helping the Ballet West school and company develop and become the success that it is today. I felt I could make a real difference to the standard of the students and of the productions.’ The latest of those productions is Swan Lake, for
which Smith will be joined by the usual Ballet West mix of professional dancers and students about to start their careers. Playing venues across Scotland, before touring China in the summer, the ballet will give Smith the chance to return to a lead role she has already danced for the company to great acclaim. ‘The double role of Odile/Odette in Swan Lake is very demanding, both physically and mentally,’ says Smith. ‘But I’m very excited to be returning to the role under new direction in a new production.’ (Kelly Apter)
PREVIEW AFRICAN/CONTEMPORARY DANCE TAVAZIVA DANCE: SENSUAL AFRICA Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Thu 16 Feb
Born in rural Zimbabwe, Bawren Tavaziva was well aware of the tribes living in his area. But having moved to bustling capital Harare at the age of four, he soon became more concerned with football, Michael Jackson and martial arts movies, before moving into dance as a teenager.
A resident in the UK since 1998, where he formed his own dance
company following spells with Phoenix and Union Dance, Tavaziva recently made a pilgrimage back to Africa. But this time he went to Malawi, where the tribes he witnessed as a young boy originated, looking for inspiration for his new show, Sensual Africa.
‘I wanted to spend time with the Chewa people and Tumbuka tribe,’ he explains, ‘to see what their traditions are about. I was looking at the initiation ceremonies of boys and girls becoming men and women. The boys go to the bush for three weeks where they are beaten up like crazy, because to become a dancer in that tribe you have to be fierce. The women also go to the bush, but they learn about morals, how to take care of their husband and be good in bed.’
Many of the initiation ceremonies involve dance, and having learned
about the rituals, Tavaziva came home inspired to create his own African/contemporary mix.
‘The style of their dancing really fascinates me, and the amazing energy they have,’ he says. ‘So I wanted to take that style and vibe and fuse it with my own understanding of dance, to create my version of these dances.’ (Kelly Apter)