swift, 2003

Ros Warby, Swift

photo courtesy of the artist

Ros Warby, Swift

Swift is Ros Warby’s internationally acclaimed solo dance work depicting the multifaceted layers existing simultaneously within a female character. Created in collaboration with her artistic team, designer Margie Medlin and composer Helen Mountfort, Swift has been developed into various incarnations over the past six years and has been hailed by critics as an elaborate choreography between theatrical elements, described by the New York Times as a “seamless blend of dance, film and music.”

Humorous, elegant and startlingly original, Swift is a kaleidoscope of fanciful characterisations, choreography and music. The solo dancer transforms from gremlin to gentle diva, exposing complex physical, psychological and emotional states experienced by the female protagonist.

Ros Warby, Swift (film) photo courtesy of the artist

photo courtesy of the artist

Ros Warby, Swift (film) photo courtesy of the artist

Stylistically Swift is a blend of filmic and theatrical aesthetics that plays with perspective and the scale of the characters. The musical score defines the rhythm of the performance. But it is the dancers’ understanding of timing, between music, film, dance and space that creates the seamless integration of all the elements. Swift premiered in Melbourne 2003 and has since toured to Europe and the US to critical acclaim. The work was adapted into a smaller gallery style version, Swift re-frame, for the Melbourne International Arts Festival in 2003 before being adapted into a 15-minute cinematic version commissioned by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Television. The film premiered on ABC TV March 27, 2007. [Text courtesy of the artist.]

Helen Mountford, Ros Warby, Swift

photo courtesy of the artist

Helen Mountford, Ros Warby, Swift

credits: direction, choreography, performance Ros Warby, lighting, projection, set design Margie Medlin, composition, performance Helen Mountfort, cinematography Ben Speth, costume Mila Faranov, production manager Richard Montgomery, performer Ros Warby, designer, operator Margie Medlin, performer Helen Mountfort, stage manager Jean Margaret Thomas

performances: premiere Arts House, Melbourne, February 2003; Melbourne International Arts Festival, October 2003; Time-Based Art Festival, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, US, September 2003; Theatrespektakkel, Zurich, August 2004; Dance Theater Workshop, New York, January 2005; Dance Umbrella, London, October 2006; Dartington College, UK, November 2006; The Point Eastleigh, UK, 2006; Trafo, Budapest, November 2006

Ros Warby, Swift (film)