A note from choreographer Antony

Hamilton

A number of ideas emerged through the creation of this piece in 2018, but the driving dramaturgy became the dancers’ duplication and change over time, expressed in Paula Levis’ costume concept of the babushka doll. The dancers reveal ever new looks under perpetually discarded layers as the piece drives on. I enjoyed making a work that pays homage to the heady world of pop culture, fashion and music, and its rapid pace of change expressed in the simple action of disrobing throughout the dance.

Choreographic phrases were developed with direct relationship to Julian Hamilton’s repeating rhythmic musical bars, both keeping to time and then skipping around the perpetual beat. The music has served as the steady, driving foundation on which the choreography rides - minimal and emphatic.

The choreography in Forever & Ever organises the body into curious formations and pushes the dancers’ abilities with technically challenging material. This kind of technical approach to developing choreography never ceases to fascinate me.

It was a pleasure to create this piece with my collaborators Julian, Paula and Benjamin and the outstanding and dedicated ensemble of dance artists back in 2018. The process of re-staging this work for Ascent has been no less rewarding and the dedication and commitment in the Studio of the new ensemble has allowed this work to live and breathe once more.