Contemporary Instincts

When Artistic Director David Hallberg announced Stephanie Lake would be The Australian Ballet’s new Resident Choreographer, the news was greeted with excitement and curiosity. Here was a respected contemporary choreographer (a departure from the classical based choreographers who had previously held the position), who ran her own company of exceptional contemporary dancers. In addition, Lake had a reputation for choreographing explosive, impactful, often risk-taking and witty works, typically created on vast numbers of artists.

Her first mainstage work with The Australian Ballet, Circle Electric, was no exception, choreographed on approximately 50 dancers to a propulsive electronic and orchestral score by Robin Fox.

Now 18 months into her role working with the 70-strong company of classical dancers of The Australian Ballet, she is going in a bold new direction with her latest work, and she couldn’t be happier.

Seven Days is a stripped-back new work, choreographed on just seven dancers to a reimagined version of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The same piece of music is performed seven times but with different orchestrations each time, the inspiration for seven diverse choreographic worlds.

“I went big with Circle Electric and wanted to work with the whole company — big conceptual ideas, huge cast, full orchestra, really ambitious,” Lake says. “But even though my favourite place is working with big casts, it’s been really nice to go deeper with these dancers and for them to go deeper too, because it’s rare for them to work in a small cast size.”

In creating Seven Days the music was the driver, a deliberate choice given its universal appeal and ability to immediately put audiences at ease.

“I’m quite aware contemporary dance has a reputation for being a bit inaccessible sometimes, so I really wanted to extend the hand by choosing this sublime, iconic music that’s really familiar. People bring their own associations to it, allowing me to then go to some more unfamiliar or mysterious places.”

Orchestrated by Peter Brikmanis as a looping structure, the first aria is initially played on piano, then repeated in a lush orchestration for strings, followed by a brassier interpretation with the horns and so on, until there’s a completely new energy emanating from the pit. 

Melbourne artist Kate Davis has created an array of costumes in lush burnt orange-hued velvet, brocade and chiffon in response to the Baroque music, and Lake has deliberately cast seven diverse dancers for the piece, from those familiar with her process like Adam Elmes and Lilla Harvey to newcomers Yaru Xu and Principal Artist Callum Linnane.

“The dancers I’ve selected for this particular work are all highly creative and have really contemporary instincts as well as being incredible classical dancers. There’s a nice mashing of backgrounds and experiences, which is the thing I find most exciting.”

Lake hopes Seven Days will provoke audiences to consider fate and free will – how different our lives could be had we chosen another path – but also to simply appreciate different ways of approaching choreography and movement.

“It’s really pushed me choreographically. There’s a different dynamic when you collide the forms – my contemporary interests with the dancers’ incredible ballet technique – you’d think they’d be worlds apart when in fact they’re not. They’re all dancers; they all have the same motivation: to express themselves, connect with audiences, to feel something.”