Historia 2003
At Chunky Move, three separate spaces housed three new works created by leading Melbourne choreographers, Chunky Move's Artistic Director Gideon Obarzanek and independent choreographers Rebecca Hilton and Stephanie Lake. Three’s a Crowd was unique, intimate and revealing, both in terms of the works, and how they were experienced; sometimes seated, sometimes standing, audience members were only inches away from the performers. Hilton's Historia drew loosely on the turbulent relationships of the Bronte sisters, conjuring an atmosphere of vaguely Gothic proportions.
Creative Team
Choreography Rebecca Hilton
Set Construction Andrew Otto
Sound Design Lydia Teychenne
Costume Design Paula Levis
Design Ben Speth
Lighting Design Niklas Pajanti
Original Performers Lucy Guerin, Rebecca Hilton
Artistic Director Gideon Obarzanek
Executive Producer Vivia Hickman
Premiere Date
19 June 2003 (Melbourne)
Choreographer's Notes
Rebecca Hilton
Historia is a duet performed by Lucy Guerin and Rebecca Hilton. Set in an enclosed environment separated from the audience and drawing inspiration from Emily and Charlotte Bronte, Historia is a study of an intense sibling relationship – close, competitive, suffocating and creative.
The Bronte sisters are literary legend. Born early in the nineteenth century on the Yorkshire moors they were among the first gothic novelists. Emily wrote Wuthering Heights then died of consumption at 24; Charlotte wrote, most famously, Jane Eyre and died at 38. Their books shocked with their sensuality, violence and moral ambivalence-especially when their identities as the sheltered daughters of a northern parson were revealed.
Lucy Guerin and Rebecca Hilton are friends and have been working together for twenty years. This has informed Historia; the complexity and familiarity of such a relationship is central to the work. Historia is performed in a box and can be viewed from four sides. The inspiration for the set was a specimen case or a bird cage. The performers within are subject to wind, snow and fog – the weather is a metaphor for the characters inner-turmoil. The effect is that of a shaken snow dome, a souvenir from another century. Neither traditionally narrative nor completely abstract Historia creates an emotional and physical environment, its characters oblivious to the outside world.
“With Three's a Crowd... Chunky Move gets the mix exactly right. The Company's home is divided into three performance spaces and groups of punters ushered from one to another... the three works are a compelling and complementary mix of experimental, theatrical and narrative dance" The Financial Review.
