Watch Out!

 

Watch iT! is inspired by your relationship with television. What made you decide on this as a theme for a contemporary dance?
As a kid I was pretty addicted to TV. Growing up in the Orkney Islands, after the day of joyriding, shooting air rifles and building camps out of fish boxes was done, there wasn't much else to do except escape into TV – apart from the scouts and knitting! I remember having pointless arguments with my dad over control of the TV. I wanted to watch Def II and he supported Channel 4 news. Of course, he would win.

 

Ironically, I don't own a television. The stimulation for this piece came one day while watching 'Strange Fish' by DV8 with my mates. Somebody cut in between us and the TV. They began to stutter in their movement as they realised they were blocking my view. In response, the group started shifting left and right with some slight agitation. I was sitting at the back, and could see this whole scene play out.

 

It dawned on me then how inanimate TV could affect people in a directly physical manner. I began to investigate other ways in which we relate to TV and also the situations where these interactions exist. The end result is a surreal slice of an extreme love/hate bond between the protagonist and his TV.

 

You are known as a hip-hop choreographer…
Despite my background, hip-hop is not always the foundation of my choreography! I've worked hard to inform myself with other forms of dance and put myself out in Europe to learn from various teachers.

 

How did you find your way into dance?
I originally trained as a veterinary surgeon. I suddenly realised that I fitted a pair of tights better than my faithful set of waterproofs and was immediately inducted into Freshmess Dance Company. I had been learning how to break-dance since I arrived in Edinburgh. Plus, there was the allure of fame as I didn't make the cut with Rolf's Amazing World of Animals. Needless to say fame still eludes me but I have found immense satisfaction in what I do.

 

I decided to toe the line for a bit and undertake a bit of training at the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance in Dundee. There, my tights really flourished. After a year of narcissistic posing - not by me of course - and trying to stretch myself in ways I really shouldn't have, I returned to the freelance scene. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to land a few dance jobs with some interesting choreographers. I've created works with my breakdance crew, Random Aspekts, and a duo called Cypher Dance. I now find myself a successful recipient of a Scottish Arts Council Creative Development Award, with which I have been able to produce this piece, and am now flying solo.

 

And how does breakin’ fit into your choreography?
Whenever I have created movement with hip hop as its basis, I assimilate and present it in a mature and intelligent manner. Breaking, popping, locking and so on is, for me, often eye candy. I find nothing wrong with dance for dance's sake and the very nature of hip-hop dance forms is, in my opinion, one of exhibitionism and flashiness. But movement can be expressive also, and I don't see why one can't do the same with hip-hop vocabulary. I suppose you could say the foundation of my choreography is that I try to put something of real substance and value behind what I am doing, and to present traditional formats from a different perspective no matter what the style.

 

Returning to Watch iT!, what are you hoping to communicate with this piece?
I am not aiming to make a moral judgement on the act of watching TV. It's more a snapshot of an aspect of our culture. This is a fable of a sort of perverted fantasy-land. I want the audience to be transported out of their seats and into this place that is strange but still allows you to relate to some of what is taking place. There is an overall sense that no matter how hard you try to break a behaviour pattern, knowing it is detrimental to your well being, some patterns are so ingrained in us that it becomes a futile exercise to try and change it. In these cases, a person is his or her own worst enemy. This, I hope, is the final message but, as with any form of art, it's open to interpretation.

 

And finally, what is your favourite TV programme?
Without question it's got to be 24. Hands down, Jack Bauer is the man! I started getting into it during the first series when I accidentally caught an episode while taking a break from studying in Teviot union. It's about the only show that gets me worked up and makes me scream at the TV. Seven series later you know exactly how it's going to unravel, who's the double agent et cetera. But it still gets me all worked up.