Mass Movement with Stephanie Lake

How did Mass Movement come about?

I had a dream to create an en masse performance on an epic scale. I wanted to bring as many dancers as possible together to share the magic of moving together in a huge, unified display of creativity and community. It's a crazy, ambitious idea and I am absolutely thrilled that Adelaide dancers have embraced the project with so much gusto. Mass Movement has been co-commissioned by Adelaide Festival and The Australian Ballet and involves nearly 1000 community dancers from across South Australia and beyond.

What draws you to these large-scale productions?

I like to go big. And I'm passionate about participation and making dance accessible to everyone, not just professionals on the big stages. I'm also interested in getting performances out of theatres and into alternative spaces. Dancing is good for the body and mind and I want as many people to experience its benefits as possible. Large participation projects such as Mass Movement also give us all a chance to connect with people across a wide demographic. That connection and community building is important and wonderful. It's so much fun!

Choreographically, there is also so much inspiration in the vast numbers. They dance like a giant human flock, moving in powerful unison and also in dynamic contrapuntal harmony. The vast numbers make even the simplest gesture exciting.

How do you choreograph for such a big group?

It has been a massive feat of coordination! I created the choreography in Melbourne with an amazing group of dancers from Stephanie Lake Company and The Australian Ballet, both with the professional company dancers and dancers from the Education Team. Front of mind was creating a piece with plenty of complexity and detail but also something that would be accessible to a wide range of dancers of all ages. We filmed a series of video tutorials so that the participants could learn the choreography in their own class groups or in the comfort of their own homes. We then ran in-person rehearsals in Adelaide across the past six months for smaller groups and this past weekend we ran mega rehearsals with groups of approximately 100 at a time. It's been over a year in development and we're finally ready to share the work.

You’ve invited both professional and non-professional dancers to participate in this event. How important is inclusivity and access to dance?

That's right. Inclusivity and accessibility are at the core of the project. One of the best aspects of Mass Movement is the incredible array of participants—dancers from ages 12 to 88 and everything in between. People who haven't danced for decades but wanted to reconnect with their dancing selves, dancers who are recovering from illness, dancers with disabilities, and young energetic kids from dance schools alongside dancers in their seventies and eighties. It's beautifully diverse. In a world that is increasingly polarised and atomized, it is so inspiring to see hundreds and hundreds of people joyously working together to create something of beauty and power.