In 2020, the eight commissioned artists of the Keir Choreographic Award share their Development Diaries with us. Works will be developed all over Australia, with the four finalists performing at Carriageworks in the finale season, 12-14 March.
In this diary we follow Gold Coast-based performance collective The Farm.
3 Mar 2020
The Farm presents their work ‘Hold Me Closer Tony Danza’ in Melbourne at Dancehouse for the 2020 Keir Choreographic Award Semi Final.
24 Feb 2020
The Farm share the details of their work for KCA 2020, Hold me closer Tony Danza.
Once we hear something, it can’t be unheard and once we say something it can’t be unsaid. Hold me closer Tony Danza is an investigation into how we form meaning and a provocation that perhaps our understanding of the world is intrinsically flawed. The light-hearted reference to a commonly misheard song lyric contains a deeper proposition about how we accumulate information and the damage we can do with our opinions and a lack of empathy or connectedness. The Farm questions the randomness of the things we find important, how we form meaning and the whole idea of certainty itself. They speak about the world by embodying their experience within it, where the act of performing reflects a desire to be an involved and evolved participant on our planet.
21 Jan 2020
We talk about Tony pretty often – actor, comedian, singer, television personality, tap dancer, boxer and teacher. He is our guide through this journey. In Tony we trust.
This is a work about misunderstanding so sometimes we’ve been confused. But then we believe being confused is a modern way of life so we’re taking it on the chin. Plus we believe in things that don’t make sense, the things that are under the surface of our perception, and the music of Elton John. We’ve invited him to the show and hope he can make it.
The three of us get together, get meditative, get awkward, get demonstrative and get gone.
13 Jan 2020
Members of The Farm discuss their development so far –
“Lay me DOWN in sheets of linen, Tony. In the spirit of a choreographic competition, we have been stretching our vocal chords, our limbs, our experiences of engagement in a world of cancel culture, tribalism, attention spans, fake news and borderless-ness, all in an attempt to reach our beloved Tony. When things get confusing, we meditate. If that doesn’t work, we listen to Elton.” – Michael
“We’ve been looking at opposites because we’re talking about the power of opinion and searching for borderless natures. So far we’ve got dogs and cats, fire and ice, coke and diet coke, Queen (the band) and Queen (the Queen), pink and blue, bushfires and Hawaiian sunsets, Oprah and Ellen, Macaulay and Michael (not our Michael). We could keep going but we have to find a place to stop.” – Gavin
“I deleted my facebook because I got so weirded out.” – Kate
Based on the Gold Coast with roots in Berlin, The Farm creates live performances that push ideas of what dance can be and how and where it should be viewed. A network of highly respected artists, The Farm’s recent works have taken them around Australia and the world. Their performance TIDE received a Helpmann award in 2018. The Artistic Direction is led by Gavin Webber and Grayson Millwood. The current farmers are Gavin Webber, Michael Smith and Kate Harman.
See The Farm’s previous works below.
