Co3 FOUNDING DANCER RUSSELL THORPE ON GLORIA – A TRIPLE BILL
Russell Thorpe has been part of the Co3 story from the very beginning, a founding dancer whose connection to Co3 continues to evolve. From the 2022 production of GLORIA to his return in GLORIA – A TRIPLE BILL, Russell reflects on artistry and what it means to return to the work with new perspective.
As a founding dancer of Co3, what role has Co3 played in shaping your artistic journey?
Co3 has been the central pillar of my artistic career over the past decade. It’s an incredible privilege to be part of the lineage and history of the company right from day one as a founding dancer, and it’s something I am immensely proud of. Co3 has enabled me to push the boundaries of my practice and artistry to an international level and most importantly build a career in the performing arts in my home town which is incredibly special to me.
You were involved in Co3’s 2022 staging of GLORIA. What stands out most when you reflect on that experience now?
I would have to say that the specificity and vigour of the work was a standout right from day one. The process, guided by the incredible Megan Adams, was explored with clarity and direction, Megan knew the work inside and out which made our job as dancers undertaking the monumental work of GLORIA a lot easier. I remember a section in the work where I had taken what we in the industry call some ‘artistic license’ on one of the moves and Megan knew straight away that it didn’t belong inside of Douglas’ world of GLORIA. Megan’s ability to see the dancers and Douglas’ movement language inside the work with such depth and precision was quite amazing to witness, I think Megan’s attention to detail and deep understanding of Douglas’ work led to an authentic re-staging of GLORIA in 2022.
GLORIA carries a strong legacy within contemporary dance. How do you approach honouring the original work while allowing it to live and breathe in the present?
You start with the simple things; the shapes, the music, the emotion, the intention, all of which are there in leaps and bounds inside of GLORIA. At times it’s best not to focus on the history and lineage of such a timeless piece of choreography such as what Douglas created; having said that, at other times it’s such an incredibly powerful energy to tap into. Knowing the work has, for decades, had an impact on communities all over the world, as well as shaped dancers careers and challenged them in ways they never thought possible. It’s really such a gift to be given the choreography of GLORIA and I think works like this, that are so acutely tapped into the human experience, aren’t bound by time.
What has shifted for you, either as an artist or as a person, between the 2022 production and this current restaging?
For me the biggest shift I’ve stumbled upon of late has been just how lucky I am to be a dancer, and that we as a broader community still find value and connection inside of the medium of dance. As a species that continues to see the differences in each other, I think that dance holds a special reminder about how we can see ourselves in each other, and that we are more alike than we are different. This universality is becoming more and more important for us as a society to keep in mind, that we are one big community and that the celebration of dance, music and art are some of the strongest threads that tie us all together.
On a personal level, what does bringing GLORIA to the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts mean for you as an artist connected to both the work and its legacy?
The opportunity for Co3 to present GLORIA with the New Zealand Dance Company in the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts feels big…I think because it is. It’s an amazing opportunity for two incredible companies to collaborate across borders, across countries, and come together to share and experience something profoundly moving. I think there’s a lot of celebration and reflection around GLORIA returning to stages in New Zealand, and with the combination of live music and a live choir it really feels like one of those once in a lifetime moments. I am immensely proud to be part of the legacy that is GLORIA and cannot wait to share his work with audiences in New Zealand in March.
In your view, what makes GLORIA continue to resonate with dancers and audiences decades after it was first created?
Like I mentioned earlier, GLORIA is one of those timeless works, set to a timeless piece of music that’s married together in such a way that it will never grow old. There’s something so pure inside the work that resonates through time that it will always have its place in our global artistic landscape. Douglas’ expression of movement and music is undoubtedly masterful and both the dancers and audience members get to bathe in the joy and glory that is GLORIA.