Physical, live and filmic: ADC artist Harrison Elliott describes ‘Three 2.0’
Just over one year after its premiere, ‘Three 2.0’ is back – this time at the Brisbane Powerhouse. The show features new works from three Australian choreographers and three new Australasian Dance Collective (ADC) company dancers since the original production.
That includes Perth’s Harrison Elliott.
Elliott joined ADC in January 2022 and will finish touring the original ‘Three’ less than two weeks before opening the next iteration. It’s been a challenge he’s thoroughly enjoyed.
“You have one work vastly different to the others [within the shows] and another work on top of that. How do you honour and deliver the authenticity of the performance without necessarily blurring them together?” he mused.
Elliott told Theatre Haus if he had to choose one word to apply to all three numbers within the new show, he’d pick “humanity.”
“The human in us all has always been present in this ‘Three’, whether that’s about our emotional boundaries or political space around us and our relationships to other bodies, our relationship to inside and outside, our nervous system or our collective experience as a group of people; the larger ‘we.’”
So how are the pieces different?
‘Limbic’ choreographed by Cass Mortimer Eipper
Elliott says the opening number, ‘Limbic’ is very technical, with a distinct approach to its physicality.
“It’s this conscious mind versus the automatic mind. [Cass Mortimer Eipper] is really into the body and its senses and how that can elicit certain movements,” Elliott explained. “There’s this kind of heightened sensitivity to the body and its senses, but then also trying to flip our usual habits and patterns.
“Imagine thinking of your hand as your eyes or your kneecaps as your nose; how does that alter your movement habits and change the way you move?”
‘Something There is That Doesn’t Love a Wall’ choreographed by Kate Harman
Where ‘Limbic’ is particular and technical, Elliott says ‘Something There is That Doesn’t Love a Wall’ has a live quality, with a reactive process playing out on stage.
“Of course, there’s choreography inside of it, but there’s a real sense of live-ness that is really fun to sink our teeth into,” he explained. “This work is really about relationships and the body being with other bodies; the inner and outer; space and boundaries; the physical and our emotion.”
‘The Incandescent Dark’ choreographed by Gabrielle Nankivell
Gabrielle Nankivell’s choreography was created “really fast” with the current cast of ‘Three 2.0’, whereas Elliott explained Harman and Mortimer Eipper’s pieces were created in 2021 with previous ADC company members.
“‘The Incandescent Dark’ is beautiful; Gabrielle drew on the dancers’ input,” he said. “It really draws on personal experiences…on the imagination and reality – so this merging and blurring of what is fictitious and what is real. It’s poignant…episodic in some parts and gives a filmic, cinemagraphic quality the way it’s structured.”
When it comes to Elliott’s own personal experiences, his training has included aerial silks and parkour, which have impacted his approach to contemporary dance.
“Aerial silks required a similar sort of physical expression and technique but in a completely different environment, suspended above the ground,” he said. “Taking parkour…using all that information to go – ‘Oh I can do a cat-pass over that table or I can dive-roll safely over there and maybe do a spin’ – it opens a lot of possibilities for those interactions with the sets and with objects.”
Taking on the role of Assistant Stage Manager on one of his projects in Adelaide saw Elliott behind the scenes: calling the show, operating the cue lab, setting up lights and more.
“Having that experience and knowing what goes on and the energy behind making everything work, makes me try to be more conscientious as a performer as to where we can help the crew… whether that’s picking up your costumes, taking them back to the dressing room…those really small things that make the other end of bumping out so much easier.”
Elliott has performed on tour throughout Europe, North and South America. He remembers the beautiful, historic stages of Europe but equally praises his visits to Regional Australia, with memories of energetic crowds whooping throughout the performances.
This time, though, he’s excited to be at the Powerhouse among his fellow ADC artists, “a collective where transparency, communication and seeing eye-to-eye is really important.”
“I haven’t performed in front of Brisbane yet and this work was meant to see Brisbane audiences earlier this year – floods postponed that,” he said. “So I’m really excited to perform…I think it’s quite a special programme.”
‘Three 2.0’ runs from 13 to 16 July 2022 at Brisbane Powerhouse. Visit the ADC website for tickets and more information.
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Cast and Crew of ‘Three 2.0’
Harrison Elliott – Company Artist
Chase Clegg-Robinson – Company Artist
Tyrel Dulvarie – Company Artist
Lonii Garnons-Williams – Company Artist
Lilly King – Company Artist
Jack Lister – Company Artist / Creative Associate
Kate Harman – Choreographer, ‘Something There is That Doesn’t Love a Wall’
Cass Mortimer Eipper – Choreographer, ‘Limbic’
Gabrielle Nankivell – Choreographer, ‘The Incandescent Dark’
Anna Whitaker – Composer, ‘Something There is That Doesn’t Love a Wall’
Alyxandra Dennison – Composer, ‘Limbic’
Luke Smiles – Composer, ‘The Incandescent Dark’
Ben Hughes – Lighting Designer
Zoe Griffiths – Costume Designer
