In Your God: Lip-synching and spirituality on the dancefloor

LINK Dance Company are celebrating 20 years this April with In Your God, a four-night season of startlingly original contemporary dance.

Artistic Director Michael Whaites is taking the rising stars to the State Theatre Centre’s Rehearsal Room to light up the stage this month.

This double bill of lip-synching, outrageous behaviour and exquisite dancing features two exciting new works by Whaites and James Welsby set to original music by WAAPA Music graduate Peter McAvan.

The lip-synching comes courtesy of James Welsby’s piece, Ultimate Form.

“Lip synching is a choreographic tool because of its special mode of operating as both verbal and physical communication,” explains the multi-faceted arts practitioner, whose experience as a drag queen brings together pop culture and choreography.

Since 2008, Welsby has been a performer, director and choreographer of contemporary dance, drag and cabaret. In 2015 he founded the award-winning cabaret company Yummy, and since then has produced and directed eight full-length productions which have toured to festivals both here in Australia and overseas.

“Ultimate Form will explore heightened states of existing, our most fully realised versions of ourselves, and self-actualisation as a spiritual imperative.”

Whaites’ new work for In Your God is also about spirituality, with a focus on finding one’s spiritual self in nature. Whaites describes how the choreographic process started with the question, “Who do you look up to?”, and expanded to explore the energy and spirits of gods and goddesses in dance.

“The work has focused on bringing the past into the present, trying to reimagine something from another time,” says Whaites.

In Your God promises a fun, fabulous evening of cutting-edge contemporary dance, full of bold choreographic choices and passionate dancing.

In Your God will be performed at the State Theatre Centre of WA from Wed 27th – Sat 30th April. For more information, head to ptt.wa.gov.au

Image: Christophe Canato

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