What’s Actually Happening

From a long nap[vii] wake Alice Will Caroline, in What’s Actually Happening, to the third circle of Hell, and a state of an ever-mutating emergency. Throw on what’s to hand — gold hot pants, a long black coat, long black gloves, a house plant — and go. What do we do now? What can be done? Some, like Dante Alighieri’s canto VI from The Divine Comedy, “No more his bed he leaves, Ere the last angel-trumpet blow”. As Caroline Meaden collects herself and dons the attire, tone, and mannerisms of the quintessential art gallery guide, comfort is found. Meaden could be describing the inferno within Giotto, Jan van Eyck, or Fra Angelico’s The Last Judgement with its demons in pursuit, breaking mortal bones. Or the crimson glare of Cerberus. She could be describing the greed of present day. As Alice Will Caroline tell it, with their talk of serpents like ropes at your ankles, these strange visions are familiar places, but they’re funny too.

- Gracia Harby for Fjord Review

CREATIVE TEAM

Choreography and Performance: Alice Dixon, Caroline Meaden and William McBride
Sound Composition: Jeremy Meaden
Lighting Design: Adelaide Harney
Costume design: Alice Will Caroline with borrowed items from Shian Law and Phillip Adams

Set: Alice Dixon and Ross Dixon

DOCUMENTATION

Photography: Gregory Lorenzutti
Video: Cobie Orger

PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Commissioned for the Keir Choreographic Award 2022, presented at Dancehouse, Melbourne, 23—25 June 2022 and Carriageworks, Sydney, 30 June—2 July

Hey… We had a bad dream, we did a bad thing, and when we woke up da-da-de da-de da-da-da-da-dum… A number of states of emergency have been declared, with a few more in the pipeline. We’ll have to do something about it. So we’ll raise our right hands and we’ll raise the other hands and our hands will come together in front of our faces then the palms will turn together and we’ll bend at our knees and we’ll hinge our backs back and we’ll keep going down and our backs will hit the ground and our heads will be on the floor and our feet will be so sore.

- program note

The Keir Choreographic Award is a partnership between Dancehouse, The Keir Foundation and the Australia Council for the Arts, with presenting partner Carriageworks

Link to Video