Common Ground 2018
A ritualistic battleground for two dance greats, Common Ground is a choreographic game of chess. Inspired by political feuds, historical showdowns and the intricate, moment-to-moment recalibrations required of any partnership, the work explores how supposed rules can be upturned by unexpected moves—intricate gambits, sacrifices and reactive attacks. Choreographed by former Chunky Move Artistic Director Anouk van Dijk, Common Ground evokes the birth of ballet in a modern milieu, as two of Australia’s most sought after dancers go move-for-move one-on-one, culminating in a visceral and intense endgame. Tara Jade Samaya and Richard Cilli perform this unique duel that lights the fuse on equality and betrayal. What is common ground if not a place to collide?
Creative Team
Created by Anouk van Dijk
Lighting Design Paul Jackson
Set & Costume Design Marg Horwell
Composition & Sound Design Jethro Woodward
Dramaturgical Advice Jerry Remkes
Performers Richard Cilli, Tara Jade Samaya
Artistic Director Anouk van Dijk
Executive Director Vanessa Pigrum
Executive Producer (Dance Massive Season) Sarah Greentree
Production Manager Mikkel Mynster
Stage Management (Premiere Season) Natalie Rowan
Stage Management (Dance Massive Season) Lyndie Li Wan Po
World Premiere
26 April 2018 Melbourne
Touring Season
2019 Melbourne
Awards
2019 Green Room Award For Performer in Dance (Tara Jade Samaya)
2019 Helpmann Award For Best Female Dancer in a Ballet, Dance or Physical Theatre Production (Tara Jade Samaya)
“★★★★★ FAST, PRECISE, MIRACULOUSLY STRONG.” The Age.
“Common Ground is a mature work by a choreographer at the height of her powers, performed by dancers at the height of theirs. It deserves to tour the world.”The Age. Read more
“The dancers carry the work beautifully. Samaya and Cilli are strong, flexible and, interesting in their personal interpretations of the movement, grasping the potential for light and dark… At the end, victory and defeat are played out in the deconstruction of the battleground, and the humanity of our players is revealed. It is strange, sad and thought provoking.” The Age. Read more
“[Common Ground] redefines audience perceptions of contemporary dance.” Theatre People. Read more
A note from Anouk van Dijk
Common Ground was created for and with Tara Jade Samaya and Richard Cilli in the Australian summer of 2018. Together, we looked at the duet form as both a utopian ideal and a display of the inherent complexity that partnerships bring. Fascinated by the feuds between political leaders on the national and international stage, and the public celebrations of their own reign, I’ve been exploring the dynamics of power. This took me back to the 17th century, and the birth of ballet. In the court of Louis XIV, dance - for the first time in history - was staged as a spectacle used to solidify absolute monarchy, with King Louis dancing the lead role on his own. In a time where equality is more than ever on the political agenda, I imagined what would have happened if Louis XIV had been performing with an equally strong female in the lead. How would it have shaped our ideas around power and gender? What would have happened to the course of history, the way we fight our battles, value our societies and shape our humanity through art? In Common Ground, Tara and Richard are co-inhabitants of an abstracted world. A reminiscence of our shared history and current states lives on in their bodies, the music, the costumes, the lights. Common Ground has become a poetic study on similarity, equality, defining territory and shifting grounds, testing the tension between the support we need and the restrictions of codependency. Their duet can be seen as a celebration, a utopian ideal of togetherness. The shoulder to lean on needs a reciprocal shoulder in return, holding each other in a constantly changing equilibrium.
Tara Jade Samaya, Richard Cilli Image: Pia Johnson
Tara Jade Samaya, Richard Cilli Image: Pia Johnson