After premiering at World Stage in 2009, Bluemouth Inc. took their wildly interactive Dance Marathon – inspired by Depression-era dance contests – on the road, including a hugely successful stint at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Now they’re back, so put on your dance shoes (and your deodorant) and get ready for another go around the floor. See Listing.
How has Dance Marathon changed since its 2009 premiere here?
Richard Windeyer: It’s down to a trim fightin’ weight of 3.5 hours, thanks in part to many performances (with a wide variety of audiences) and a super-strong stage manager/technical director duo. Just like humans, the show only reaches full maturity after it’s done some travelling and been in a couple of bar fights and one-night stands.
Stephen O’Connell: Some new songs, some new dances, a lot of new dancers and a new MC. More fun and more competition. Bigger prizes.
What’s changed about you?
Lucy Simic: All that cardio is keeping us spry.
Ciara Adams: We’ve become much more interested in immersive work. Our earlier work always had the audience participating in various ways, but Dance Marathon is actually about the audience. They are the protagonist. This really interests me. In an increasingly digital age, it feels appropriate.
O’Connell: I’m now wearing bifocal glasses and working at a new restaurant to support my artistic habit.
The use of smartphones and social media has exploded since then. Do you integrate Twitter and Facebook into the proceedings?
Windeyer: Look for more of this sort of thing in the next bluemouth project.
O’Connell: We @bluemouthinc are happy to be returning to Toronto with #DanceMarathon @HarbourfrontTO @WorldStageTO.
You created the piece around the time of the economic downturn, and the show’s inspired by Depression-era dance contests. Things haven’t picked up. When will things get better?
Simic: I know! How is an artist supposed to get a grant to develop the next piece if arts funding is being cut?
Most memorable dance partners?
Simic: The double-jointed guy in London.
O’Connell: Lieve, the wonderful and playful Belgian woman in London who played a song on her kazoo.
How many pairs of shoes have you used up performing Dance Marathon?
Simic: Four black Converse for me alone, 18 pairs for the collective.
Adams: I’m on my third pair, and I think they’ll just last me for these two performances.
O’Connell: Two pairs of black Converse, one pair of army boots and a couple of pairs of Vans. I bought brand new blue Converse especially for this showing.
What’s next?
Simic: An overnight island performance, a hybrid of an Irish wake and an Australian walkabout. The rest is a secret.
Windeyer: Lunch.
Adams: Something immersive, site-specific, fun and emotional. We’re toying with an overnight piece. Very kinesthetic and experiential.
