As one of Australia's leading
contemporary dance ensembles, South Australian-based Leigh Warren &
Dancers has graced stages across the world - often performing to
sell-out crowds with their innovative and award-winning productions.
However, it's in the realm of community dance - through an intimate
series of performances for patients receiving treatment at a hospital
in their hometown of Adelaide - that the company has been most deeply
rewarded.
The notion of taking dance outside its traditional
stage setting and into the very heart of a community has always appealed
to Leigh Warren - artistic director at Leigh Warren & Dancers, one
of Australia's most respected contemporary dance companies. Throughout
its 18 year history the company has engaged in numerous community dance
projects - but none has had quite the impact on both the audience and
the dancers themselves as Medico Manoeuvres - a series of specially
choreographed dance pieces for ward patients at an Adelaide hospital.
Designed
as diversional therapy, the performances were presented at Flinders
Medical Centre (FMC) in 2007 and 2009 through its Arts in Health
programme that integrates art and cultural activities into the life of
the centre for the benefit of patients, visitors and staff. It's the
largest and most diverse program of its kind in Australia.
Leigh
was introduced to the concept of diversional therapy in 2006 by Adelaide
neuroscientist, Professor Ian Gibbins, who approached him to work on
the community programme, Science Outside the Square.
"Our
presentation was about the connection between the mind and body movement
and how synaptic pathways in the brain change when you dance or witness
movement," says Leigh. "From that project I discovered how movement and
music, when combined in dance, can create a diversion from self
consciousness, which has the ability to change mood and behaviour
generating a sense of wellbeing."
An invitation followed for
Leigh to undertake a residency at the FMC and design a series of
performances for patients in wards ranging from oncology and
paediatrics, to renal dialysis and the mental health unit.
"The
aim of diversional therapy is to distract the patient with a welcome and
non-confrontational surprise," says Leigh. "In that moment of
distraction and engagement, they stop thinking about their condition and
their body experiences enormous relief. Later, when they recall the
moment, it brings further relief and benefit."
In designing the
individual dance pieces, Leigh worked closely with the clinical nurse
consultants on the relevant wards to determine music selection and how
best to utilise the different settings without compromising patient care
or comfort.
"These performances had to result in a win-win
situation for the patients and the dancers, so consulting with those
nurses was a crucial part of the design process," says Leigh. "It
informed every element - the choreography, the music and the costumes."
For
the paediatric ward, dancers donned pyjamas and entered the space
unannounced with pillows under their arms - before performing to an
upbeat soundtrack.
"At the start, the kids had no idea what was
going on - some thought the dancers were just new patients arriving,"
says Leigh. "The pillows were integrated playfully into the performance
and many of the kids joined in. In the end, pillows were flying
everywhere. It was extremely uplifting and importantly, had the desired
effect of creating a welcome surprise and a gentle distraction for the
children."
The oncology ward called for a subtler approach. While
pillows and pyjamas were again incorporated, the use of the beautiful
Alina by composer, Arvo Pärt evoked a more tranquil atmosphere.
"This
piece was very delicate and tender, with the dancers softly cradling
the pillows in their arms," says Leigh. "It was remarkable to watch the
reaction of the patients who weren't quite sure if they were
hallucinating because the routine had started so organically. Watching,
you could almost see the patients leaving their bodies and travelling
across the room - just giving themselves up to the performance."
One
of the most moving moments for Leigh and the dancers took place in a
general ward, where a woman lay close to death, her daughter by her
side.
"The mother was falling in and out of a coma and we
weren't sure whether to go ahead," says Leigh. "But her daughter felt
she would love the feeling of such gentle movement taking place around
her. As the dancers performed, the daughter would describe what was
happening to her mother. The woman would wake for a moment and engage
in the process and then lapse back. The daughter was elated her mother
had been able to experience such a beautiful vision of tenderness and
connection and they'd been able to share that moment together."
Another morning performance for psychiatric patients resulted in an incident free afternoon.
"For
this piece the dancers dressed in nurse's uniforms and performed to
tango music," says Leigh. "The pleasure and amusement the patients
experienced in those first few moments of the dancers coming in, when
they thought perhaps the nurses had gone a little loco, just seemed to
bring about a really peaceful afternoon, which was great for patients
and staff."
The residency was an equally rewarding experience for Leigh and the dancers.
"It
certainly helped me as a choreographer," says Leigh. "It's an awareness
thing. Working away from the stage in the community, especially in a
medical arena, requires you to be very aware of response. It's crucial
in the design phase to be able to 'read' people and understand the
different situations in which you'll be delivering the work and how it
might be interpreted."
For the dancers, the challenges came at a
practical and emotional level. The wards were far removed from the
comparative safety of a theatrical stage: props replaced by
life-supporting medical equipment, surgeons and nursing staff instead of
production and lighting crew and an audience which could not only be
seen, but was held captive in their hospital beds.
"Over time,
they began to read the emotional state of a particular space extremely
well and learnt to control their reaction to that instead of being
washed over by it," says Leigh. "I think an experience like that can
only give a dancer more confidence to perform in a whole range of
settings."
The project resonated particularly for dancer Chris Hewitt, who performed in 2009.
"Initially,
Chris was quite anxious about the performances," says Leigh. "He's a
very caring, sensitive person and, like many people, wasn't comfortable
in hospital environments. As it turned out, he found the experience so
rewarding he's now making connections with other medical centres around
Australia which have similar arts programmes and hopes to get a pilot
programme up in Victoria."
Leigh has also been approached by
another South Australian hospital to design similar performances for
their women's and children's unit. While keen to pursue the request, he
admits he has much to learn about diversional therapy and would like to
see the formation of a group of medical and artistic professionals, to
look at the area full-time.
"There's so much more I want to
understand about this subject, but I believe the potential benefits are
huge," says Leigh. "For me, it's important to see dance having a deeper
relevance for people - a life and purpose beyond the stage setting. I
love the mystery of the theatre and the emotions you can provoke through
a traditional stage production but it's also important to have the
breadth to reach out and do other things - and what could be more
rewarding than to bring even the briefest relief to another human being
through the experience of dance?"
For Leigh Warren & Dancers
contact lwd@lwd.com.au /
visit www.lwd.com.au