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Canberra Today 22°/24° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Doing it for the ‘Don’ts’

YOU don’t see much of our 2008 “CityNews” Artist of the Year, Nicole Canham, these days.

That’s because, for the past three years, the clarinetist and former director of the Canberra International Chamber Music Festival has been traversing the world, pursuing her own performance career, dashing between Australia and Mexico for an interactive 360° video installation production in the midst of which she performs.

Now Canham and choreographer-dancer Nerida Matthaei are about to stage their own creation in Canberra.

The pair has been talking about working together for ages, so when Canham picked up a copy of the 1925 book “Don’ts for Dancers” at Heathrow Airport, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a dance and music collaboration.

That led to a month’s creative development with international artists specialising in the crossover of movement, voice and dance, first in France and then at the Centre of Dance in Dublin.

Now, together with two dancers, Alex Bryce and Leah Shelton, they’ve come up with their own production about what you should and should not do. Canham and Matthaei are mixing waltz, 1920s Charleston and tango with contemporary pop and techno music and dance.

And, yes, dancing in this context is very much a heterosexual activity.

“In the production there are three girls and one guy, so it’s a question of who gets to dance with the guy,” Canham says.

“Don’ts for Dancers”, Canberra Theatre Courtyard Studio, March 14-17. Bookings to 6275 2700.

PHOTO: Nicole Canham, left and Nerida Matthaei… the perfect opportunity for a dance and music collaboration.

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Ian Meikle, editor

Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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