‘The important thing about the style of our company is it’s about individuals,’ says Janet Smith, Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT). ‘It’s not so uniform. We strive for a good, even standard, which is high both technically and in regards to the level of performance skill. But [also one] which allows plenty of space for individual expression in the work, as well as a real sense of community on stage.’
It’s a difficult balance, but one which the repertory company seems to be achieving smoothly under Smith’s artistic vision. And after receiving a 78% funding increase from the Scottish Arts Council recently, boosting investment in the company from £200,000 to £500,000, Smith is enthusiastic the company will go from strength to strength.
Since her appointment to SDT five years ago, Smith has overseen an increase in the company’s audience numbers by about 200%, and risen to the challenge posed by another force – with a considerably larger budget – in contemporary dance in Scotland. In 2001, the Scottish Ballet was told it would be shifting its focus to contemporary dance, and further, it would not be renewing the contract of its artistic director, Robert North. The SDT responded well to the increased competition, keeping production costs low and feeding resources into finding talented choreographers to work with. ‘I feel very positive about it’, Smith says of Scottish Ballet’s broader remit. ‘It’s only healthy competition, if you like!’
This week, SDT’s ensemble of eight dancers will premiere new works by the winners of the 2003 Peter Darrell Choreography Awards – the second time SDT has hosted the winners of the award, which honours the founder of Scottish Ballet.
When it comes to individuality, winning choreographers Victor Quijada and Beth Cassani couldn’t be more different. While Quijada’s piece explores ideas of connection between individuals and the world around us, in contrast, Cassani’s new work delves into the surreal: looking at time and escape, stories of ‘flight and disappearance, gravity and defiance, manipulation and transformation.’
The differences in Cassani and Quijada’s work can be traced back to their diverse backgrounds. Mexican-born Quijada began break-dancing on the streets of Los Angeles, where he grew up, at the tender age of eight. He went on to complete formal dance training at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, before working with Twyla Tharp Dance in New York City and Les Grands Ballet Canadiens in Montreal. He has since fused urban, classical and contemporary styles of dance through his own company, Rubberbandance Group, established in 2002.
‘It’s quite a fascinating and unusual style,’ Smith comments, having observed the choreographer’s intense work with SDT over the past month, which is the brief period allowed to create a new work after receiving the Peter Darrell Trust award. ‘When we first saw it, everyone’s jaws just dropped! It’s beautiful and subtle and challenging, and very sharp musically. It’s also very physical, but not in a macho way,’ says Smith, describing movements where the dancers roll their backs and somehow end up practically landing on their heads. All things considered, it’s not hard to see the inspiration behind the name of Quijada’s Rubberbandance company.
Cassani’s work, on the other hand, reflects her interest in visual and physical theatre. Based in Leeds, she trained at the School for New Dance Development in Amsterdam, and has worked with the Leikin Loppu Theatre Company. Like Quijada, Cassani has also recently begun creating work with her own company, Cassanidance, in partnership with Yorkshire Dance.
For Smith, one of the most rewarding parts of her job is her role as talent-spotter. The extra funding, which is further boosted by the promise of three-year funding to parent company, Dundee Rep Theatre, will not only raise the salaries of the performers but enable the company to draw talent from further afield.
It’s an opportunity Smith loves offering both to up-and-coming and higher-profile choreographers, given her own humble beginnings in dance.
‘I started as a choreographer myself, just doing solo work, and then managing to find a group of people who were willing to work for practically nothing,’ she recalls. ‘So, to be able to invite people into a company where you can serve them and the work, it’s a big breakthrough.’
‘We will also be able to incorporate live music into performance,’ Smith adds, describing the focus of the additional funds. ‘We have done this in the past, thanks to special funding projects, but it’s something which can happen again now.’ The company also plans to appoint an Associate Director, increase the number of dancers from eight to ten, and tour beyond the UK, including appearances this summer at festivals throughout Italy.
Building on SDT’s dance and theatrical model, Smith reveals collaborations with actors from Dundee Rep could also be on the horizon. The Artistic Director and choreographer is back in the studio herself, and will also personally be realising the benefits of the recent funding boost. Her new, as yet unnamed, work is set to premiere around Christmas 2003. In the meantime, Smith is busy preparing to engage the help of a video artist to incorporate projections into the piece, as well as a composer, to create a live music score and possibly work with actors to explore the use of text in the performance.
‘I want to explore ideas of naming and identity, the importance of individual stories and ownership of our own narrative,’ Smith explains. Considering her dedication to encouraging the individual, that she should create a piece exploring the idea further seems highly appropriate.
For more information about Scottish Dance Theatre’s upcoming season, ‘A Celebration of Dance,’ visit the company’s website.
