[SPAC2010]Identity in Contemporary Dance – Australia and the Asia-Pacific

“Identity in Contemporary Dance – Australia and the Asia-Pacific”, by Philipa Rothfield

The question of national identity is often linked to politics. What is it then to associate national identity with a form of cultural practice? Can art represent the nation state? Korea clearly values its art and its artists. Its participation in UNESCO’s program of Intangible Cultural Heritage is one measure of this state of affairs. But a nation’s wealth is one thing, its national identity another.

I think the question of national identity is more straightforward in Korea than in Australia. Although subjected to foreign occupation and civil war, Korean culture nevertheless appears to be unified. Australia is different. Our indigenous people, Australia’s traditional owners, have been part of the land for between 40,000 and 80,000 years. Australia was used by the British as a convict colony in the 18th and 19th centuries, during which it became part of the British Empire. Australia’s independence was won at the expense of aboriginal sovereignty, which has never been properly recognized.

There have been many waves of immigration into Australia, especially in the 20th century, from Europe but also from Asia and, more recently, Africa and the Far East. So, as far as national identity is concerned, Australia is not monocultural. We have an indigenous population and a multicultural constituency which is built upon the vestiges of British colonialism.

Australia’s colonial origins can be seen in the visual arts. Early paintings of the Australian bush look like exotic versions of the English countryside. Aboriginal people are depicted as primitives, seen according to colonial eyes. While artists subsequently developed their own vision of the Australian landscape, it wasn’t until the 20th century that white Australia began to celebrate indigenous art.

In terms of dance, we can also discern two strands. Our rich cultural heritage of aboriginal dance was initially studied by anthropologists, by academics dedicated to the study of ‘other cultures’. It was not considered high art, which was regarded in exclusively European terms. In the 20th century, this translated as classical ballet.

The earliest Australian ballet companies were European in origin, for example, the Borovansky Ballet (1939-61), directed by Prague born and trained, Edourd Borovansky. Borovansky adapted the ballets of Europe for the Australian stage. His first Australian themed ballet, Terra Australis, performed in 1946, was written by Tom Rothfield. According to the synopsis, Australia is represented as a beautiful young woman who is courted by her aboriginal lover. A colonial explorer intrudes, steals her love and the aboriginal lover is tragically killed in the ensuing fight—pretty much the story of aboriginal dispossession. Borovansky Ballet lasted for over 20 years, ultimately yielding to The Australian Ballet, our national ballet company, in 1962.

Why speak of ballet when my topic is contemporary dance? Because this legacy of European ballet has left an indelible mark on the scene of contemporary dance in Australia. Ballet has a strong presence in our training institutions, in our funding bodies and in the bodies of those that make contemporary work. More than any other art form, dance is passed from one body to another. Its method of transmission is marked by the genealogy and provenance of its master bodies. If their provenance is classical, then this will have consequences.

There are numerous contemporary companies whose choreographers learnt their craft via classical technique. Ballet training produces a dancer who is in possession of the requisite physical skills. The contemporary-ballet mode of production operates according to a 6-8 period according to which a work is made “on” the body of the dancer who is presumably trained and ready to go.

At this point, I introduce another model of making work, which hails from the counter tradition of American modern and post modern dance. As distinct from ballet’s fixed lexicon of movement and daily drill, modern and post modern dance emerged in studio settings, developed its own movement vocabularies and espoused a more intimate mode of performance. Ballet’s form of spectacular display was rejected in favour of a more action based involvement in choreography.

The influence of these approaches on contemporary dance in Australia depend upon the experience and influence of their exponents. In Australia, Russell Dumas is the most pervasive exponent of American post modern dance, having performed with Trisha Brown Company and Twyla Tharp Dance. Dumas has been making his own work in Australia for over 30 years and has influenced many dancers, such as Lucy Guerin and Becky Hilton. Dumas’ emphasis is on the development of the dancer in the context of making work. This is intense and time consuming.

Our funding bodies continue to operate according to a notion of contemporary choreography as something that is imposed on the already trained dancer. This means that the day to day development of the dancer is unsupported. Contemporary dancers and choreographers either work within the few funded companies or they are deemed independent artists who must fend for themselves.

What of the place of Asia in relation to Australian dance? There are two political perspectives on the question of our Asian neighbours. One, the conservative colonial approach which aims to maintain Australia’s Anglo-European constituency and the other which affirms migrant diversity, welcomes refugees and locates Australia within the greater Asia-Pacific context. In the 1990’s, Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating emphasised Australia’s place within Asia, visiting numerous countries with a view to strengthening the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC). Asialink, whose aim was to foster Asian-Australian cultural exchange, was also established in this period. The strongest Asian dance influence on contemporary dance performance is Japanese Butoh, with exponents such as Yumi Umiumare, Tony Yap and Tess de Quincey.

The recent recognition of wrongs done to the aboriginal people of Australia is somewhat reflected in government arts policy which specifically attempts to support aboriginal culture. In contemporary terms, Sydney’s Bangarra Dance Theatre is very much the leader in mixing traditional culture with contemporary dance. Artistic Director, Stephen Page, danced with the Sydney Dance Company until 1991. The company consists of dancers who hail from the many aboriginal peoples of Australia. Tracks Dance Company combines hip hop dance with traditional aspects of Warlpiri culture as a way of connecting young aboriginal dancers with their own traditional origins.

As you can see, there are many expressions of national identity on the Australian scene. While ballet’s colonial influence is palpable, there are other influences at work, American, European and Asian, as well as the longstanding traditions of the original inhabitants of this land. Not only is there difference at the heart of Australian identity, these differences are not easily reconciled. Perhaps we will need to achieve some kind of reconciliation with the aboriginal peoples of Australia before we can resolve the question of national identity, whether culturally or politically.