This residency through Lucy Guerin Inc at WXYZ was invaluable for me with both time and space to connect with collaborators, test ideas, generate material and lay the foundation for my new choreographic work that will inevitably be SH!T Hott/?
SH!T Hott/? is both a critique and a celebration of artistic ego. It interrogates the internal and external pressure to create something that “matters,” choosing instead to embrace overconfidence, chaos and self-indulgence and offer respite from the conceptual or political heaviness often found in contemporary performance. Snippets that emerged during this residency are playful, absurd, cheeky and irreverent. A glimpse of a new dance work that simultaneously embodies and is a meme of what it is to be “shit hot”.
The tongue-in-cheek premise “This work is going to change the world” supported an approach to working that was highly generative. Rich and perhaps risque, conversations with collaborators: Hayley Row, Alec Katsourakis, Amanda Lever, Jacqui Maida, Reuben McDougall Di Manno, Alice Atkinson and Indi McQueen, about context, subjectivity, dance memes, what is “good” choreography (and what is not), what is popular and what is cliche, provided provocations that fueled both process and choreography.
We explored the coexistence of sincerity and irony, experimenting with various relational structures between movement and text, rhythm, anticipation and let down, and dismantling of the fourth wall. My intention to use joke writing techniques from stand up comedy (a world I’ve been connected to for the past 5 years) didn’t quite land for this development. What became evident is how they might feed into the next.
This residency also enabled me to experiment with both improvisationals and directorial approaches to choreographing, and prioritise my own artistic vision (something I haven’t done for a long time). It was also the beginning of a dramaturgical relationship with Ebony Muller.
This was just the beginning of SH!T Hott/? I’m looking forward to sifting through documentation footage and planning next stages. I am incredibly grateful to Lucy Guerin Inc and my collaborators for enabling this work to become something tangible. Stay tuned.
About Chelsea
Chelsea Byrne is a Naarm-based dance artist, facilitator, producer and mum. She has performed in, produced and collaborated on works for award-winning artists at various festivals including Sydney Fringe, Melbourne Fringe, Dance Massive, Melbourne International Comedy Festival RISING, Now or Never, and SXSW Festival (Texas, USA). Her movement practice explores spectrums of presence, spontaneity, curiosity, indulgence and ridiculousness.
Chelsea has a Bachelor of Arts and Education (UNSW), and Master’s of Dance (VCA). She has held leadership roles in arts education programs, coordinated community festivals, leads Youth Dance Makers Initiative and was a founding member of Youth Dance Australia. Chelsea’s multifaceted career in the arts reflects her commitment to collaborative artistic process, nurturing emerging artists and cultivating community connection.