THE PROJECT

tiny little tragedies is a new contemporary dance work created by independent West Australian choreographer Alice Lee Holland, which will premiere in August 2012 at the State Theatre Centre of WA. 

Sofie Burgoyne, Robbie Curtis, Paul White, Jacqui Claus, Rhiannon Spratling.  Photo by Rachael Bott, 2010

A "tiny little tragedy" is the living memory of a particular event that resides permanently in the body. The events that inspire these memories are intimate, quiet instances, involving just one or two people (tiny) where something happens in a single moment that can never be undone (tragic).

When triggered, these memories overwhelm the body, bringing the past to the present like a physical déjà vu.

“It is in these moments, when we are overwhelmed by our body truth, that we surrender to our own humanity and beautifully expose our fragility and our failings”, says Holland, “As perfectly composed as we’d like to be, movement never lies.”

The physically poetic Paul White – acclaimed as “simply the best male dancer in the country” by The Australian – makes a rare appearance in Perth for this premiere season, to join a stellar cast of contemporary dancers that includes Perth ‘dancer de jour’, the commanding Jacqui Claus.

Presented by Strut Dance as the featured local production of the inaugural MoveMe dance festival, tiny little tragedies will stand alongside international works as a showcase for the best of Perth-based contemporary dance.

Timed to coincide with the Festival, the Australian Dance Awards will be hosted in Western Australia for the first time.  The scale of this combined event for dance in Perth is unprecedented.  As an independent choreographer in one of the most isolated cities in the world, this is a thrilling opportunity for Holland to showcase her work.

THE TINY LITTLE REQUEST

As Holland's second full length independent dance work (following Preparing to be Beautiful  in 2008), tiny little tragedies has been through two creative development periods since December 2009.  The third and final phase of development will happen in the lead up to the premiere season in August, primarily supported by the Department of Culture and the Arts and Strut Dance in association with Future Moves.  However there is still a "tiny little gap" in the budget, which threatens to restrict the ultimate production possibilities for this premiere season.

Your support for this project will allow tiny little tragedies to realise its full production potential in the state of the art Studio Underground venue at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia.

Jacqui Claus & Lola Blossom.  Image by Christophe Canato, 2012