Elemental: the new dance exploration of air, earth, fire, space, and water from QL2 Dance

Posted on 18 October, 2024

A collaborative contemporary dance production from QL2 Dance led by Artistic Director, Alice Lee Holland, explores the elements through innovative choreography and the creative involvement of 43 young dancers.

Showing at Canberra College in three performances from Friday 18 to Saturday 19 October, Elemental is an original and collaborative dance work following the concept of the elements: air, earth, fire, space, and water.

“The inspiration for the actual show is the elements and the way the different elements can be explored as different choreographic palettes and textures, letting the dancers explore many different ways of moving,” says Alice Lee Holland, the QL2 Dance choreographer and new Artistic Director.

Choreographed by Alice alongside Jahna Lugnan, Jason Pearce, and Max Burgess, Elemental is an opportunity for dancers to be involved in the creative process of a contemporary work.

This piece works in collaboration with the dancers aged between eight and 17 and choreographers in sections that include structured improvisation. Nine-year-old dancer, Sylvie Reynolds, says, “It’s really nice to be able to put all your ideas mixed with what the choreographer wants”

“After a while, you start getting used to it and it starts feeling really good with collaborating,”

One particular section that demonstrates the use of collaboration and structured improvisation is named the ‘Zen Garden’.

As Alice explains, “It’s about the way that the earth grounds us and can make us feel peaceful and calm and also inspired to grow from the ground.”

Sylvie’s own interpretation of the section includes a vision of “an overgrown area with a bunch of different pixies and fairies and nymphs”. Sylvie’s imaginative take on the Zen Garden brings a personal touch to the performance, inviting the audience to reflect on their own connection to the natural world.

Sylvie Renolds.

She mentions how she “started making a whole entire world” and her imagination carried her the rest of the way.

“When I watch her explore the Zen Garden at the end when she does her section, which a lot of it is structured improvisation … for Sylvie, like she says it’s a whole world that she’s experiencing. It’s beautiful and it matches the ideas I have for earth perfectly,” says Alice.

Both Alice and Sylvie hope this piece has an impact on the audience in terms of connection.

“In different moments I want them to feel the mood and the world I’m trying to show while dancing,” says Sylvie.

Alice agrees.

“I’d love for the audience to not only appreciate what they see through the dancing and the choreography but also what it makes them feel. The performance itself is an opportunity to consider your own connection with the elements as the matter and material that make up the universe.”

Photography: Oliva Wikner, O&J Photography.