PRE-PRODUCTION and REHEARSALS
In July, I received a small stART grant through Metro Arts. After months of COVID-19 and writing for my MFA, I was craving creating something, so the stART grant was perfect timing. Given that so much of COVID-19 was spent with people staying home or self-isolating, I wanted to explore a solo work in some confined spaces. I worked with recent QUT graduate Erin O’Rourke, whom I had seen in the QUT performances and graduation shows over the past three years, and her work impressed me.
The creative development spanned one week, initially commencing rehearsals at Mill Street Studios and then moving to the Old Museum, where we started working on the stairs. Most university dance programs do not train students for dancing on surfaces other than dance floors or theatre floors, so moving from the studios to a location with stairs was more helpful in developing the work.
The idea of a stairwell became interesting, and I began researching stories of people who get trapped and even die in stairwells. However, not focusing too much on the macabre death elements, I liked the idea of a spiral staircase for all the metaphors it provides. I began to see the creative development manifesting as a short dance film, and after the week of rehearsals, decided to invest in making the second stage of the project.
