Australia Dancing - Two Feet (1988

Two Feet (1988 - )

Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard as Olga in 'Two Feet', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989

Two Feet premiered as part of World Expo on Stage in Brisbane at the Cremorne Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre on 2 May 1988. A solo show created and directed by Meryl Tankard with visual design by Regis Lansac, it was and has only ever been performed by Tankard. Two Feet used two characters, Russian ballerina Olga Spessivtseva and Mepsie, a semi-autobiographical figure, to explore the idea that dance and dancers are plagued by obsessions as they strive to attain perfection. Tankard played both characters - two characters, yet only two feet.

Two Feet was subsequently given performances in Canberra during Tankard's term as artistic director of Meryl Tankard Company and it has also been seen in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Tankard also performed Two Feet in Tokyo in 1989 and New Zealand and Germany in 1994.

Research Materials

Manuscript | Moving picture | Oral history | Picture | All

Interview with Meryl Tankard, 1990 (Oral history): Interviewee: Tankard, Meryl; Interviewer: Shirley McKechnie; Audiotape, 230 mins; Tankard discusses her family background, dance training and career as a performer with the Australian Ballet and the Pina Bausch Wuppertal Tanztheater. She speaks about taking on the directorship of the Meryl Tankard Company in Canberra and discusses a number of works she choreographed for that company including Two Feet, VX18504, Banshee, Nuti and Kikimora.; Tankard, Meryl ; Australian Ballet, The ; Meryl Tankard Company ; Nuti ; Banshee ; Kikimora; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 2602
nla.cat-vn14348; Written permission required for research use

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Other resources

Find more about Two Feet in:

Internet - Google
Articles - New York Public Library Dance Collection
Pictures - Picture Australia