original home, 1999

Original Home was developed by Ros Warby, Shona Innes and Graeme Leak. It is a choreography of movement and sound sculpted within an enclosed environment. The piece invites a return to original home. It is concerned with the notion of one’s place, one’s original nature. Beauty and simplicity are hallmarks of the work. Stillness and silence act as a backdrop to a collection of sounding objects that have a primal resonance (rock, plank, drum, string, stick).

Warby, Leak and Innes are mature performers who share a deep interest in improvisation in performance and are respected soloists in their own right. They also share a dry and understated sense of humour, which brings a quirky and unexpected edge to their collaboration. Years of performing experience allows them to play not only with each other but also with some of the traditions and conventions of their art forms. Warby and Medlin’s design for Original Home exhibits their understanding of the theatrical space and flair for framing the dance/performance.

As a musician, Graeme Leak is distinguished by his ability as a performer. His warm and open presence and curious physical rapport with objects provokes a bizarre sense of play for performers and audience alike.

Shona Innes is well known for her solo dance improvisations and her off-beat interpretations. Her idiosyncratic approach to movement reveals itself in her play with the rhythm and inflection of gesture.

As director of this work, Ros Warby goes more deeply into the choreography between movement and sound, to reveal the fundamental beauty of this relationship. [Text courtesy of the artist.]

credits: direction Ros Warby, choreography, composition, performance Ros Warby, Shona Innes, Graeme Leak, sound objects, recording Graeme Leak, lighting Margie Medlin, design Ros Warby, Margie Medlin

performances: premiere Dancehouse, Melbourne, February 1999