4 WALLS AND A FLOOR

For two weeks in November, long-time collaborators Alisdair Macindoe and Alison Currie underwent a 4 WALLS AND A FLOOR Residency. Alison and Alisdair were developing their new work Multi-solo following the success of their solo work Progress Report (FRAME Biennial 2023 & Vitalstatistix 2021). 

Multi-solo is a dance solo to be performed by multiple people at the same time. A funny, angry, and absurd theatrical dance work, Multi-solo unpacks the 21st century philosophy of the self. 

The Dancenorth 4 WALLS AND A FLOOR residency saw them undertake creative research developing themes, images, video, set and costume concepts, improvisational scores and choreographic phrase work.

MULTI-SOLO

‘Multi-solo’ is an access informed, experimental contemporary performance work, that is a means to explore the age of narcissism, self-centred philosophy, and genius mythology, in a choreo-situational social metaphor.

‘Multi-solo' features four accomplished, experienced dance artists, each who embody different backgrounds and unique perspectives that inform their physicality as they dance. Sharing the stage, these ‘soloists’ perform their version of the same solo at the same time.

A funny, angry, and absurd theatrical dance work, ‘Multi-solo’ unpacks the 21st century philosophy of the self, through the lens of four interpretations of reality.

‘Multi-solo' is the 2nd work by dance artists Alison Currie and Alisdair Macindoe, following the successful ‘Progress Report’ (The Substation, FRAME Biennial 2023 & Vitalstatistix 2021). Progress Report received several positive reviews and was nominated for an “Outstanding Collaboration” Ruby Award in 2022 and Rachel Coulson was nominated for a greenroom award for her performance of Progress report in 2023.

"...a perfectly executed work that interrogated, at its heart, humans’ love of consumption and the ugly side to our consumerist addiction."
★★★★☆ - Jessi Lewis, www.artshub.com.au

“Performed superbly by Macindoe on this occasion...Progress Report is riveting dance theatre that uses humour and whimsy to raise serious issues about our complicated relationship to waste. With its pared back staging, this is a work that could easily tour: indeed, it should be shown for as long as Styrofoam is with us.”

— MAGGIE TONKIN www.danceaustralia.com.au

The dancers of Multi-solo includes individuals who are ballet-trained, yoga-trained, gymnastics-trained, classical Indian dance-trained and contemporary dance-trained, artists with the collective knowledge of over 50 full-length performance works. One performer is First Nations, another is of Fiji-Indian/English heritage. Artists of all genders make up the team and there is an artist who is neurodiverse and others who have various access requirements. Our collective identities form a wide range of perspectives and skill sets in dance and experiences in life that offer the work great potential for depth and substance.

Co-direction,Choreography,Concept,Writing:

Alison Currie & Alisdair Macindoe
Performers/co-choreographers: Geoffrey Watson,

Rachel Coulson, Raina Peterson, Kyall Shanks
Sound Design: Alisdair Macindoe
Access & Sensory Dramaturg: Zya Kane
Executive Producer: Penelope Leishman Insite Arts
Assistant Producer: Sebastian Calabretto

Stylistically Multi-solo combines experimental dance and physical performance modes with text-based divulgences derived from the research process. Referring to postmodern, self-referential traditions, the performance itself will act as a metaphor for the subject matter, part social experiment and part critique of dance solos and self-portraits as egocentric traditions.

The work unpacks how aspects of our relationship with digital media have, in the eyes of several great thinkers and writers, led us into a period of narcissism, unattainable lifestyle standards, and reckless social and commercial norms. Research sources include Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, Who owns the Future by Jaron Lanier, Selfie by Will Storr, Generation Me by Jean M. Twenge, The Social Dilemma by Jeff Orlowski, and related works.