Meryl Tankard Company (1989 - 1992)
Lansac, Regis: The Underwater Cabaret from 'Echo Point', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989
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The Meryl Tankard Company was formed in 1989 as a vehicle for the choreography of its artistic director, Meryl Tankard. It was, however, a development of the contemporary dance company that had existed in Canberra since 1980 and that was originally directed by Don Asker as Human Veins Dance Theatre. Tankard worked in Canberra between 1989 and 1992 presenting eight new works, VX18504 (1989), Banshee (1989), Nuti (1990), Kikimora (1990), Court of Flora (1990), Chants de mariage I (1991), Chants de mariage II (1992) and Songs with Mara (1992). In addition, two earlier pieces were revived in Canberra, Two Feet staged in Canberra in 1989 but first performed in Brisbane in 1988 and Echo Point staged in Canberra in 1989 but first performed in Sydney in 1984; Pile Up was commissioned from Graeme Watson and presented on the same program as Kikimora in 1990; and Tankard collaborated with Canberra-based theatre director Pierre Bokor on Circo in 1991.
A defining feature of Tankard's work in Canberra for the Meryl Tankard Company was the collaboration between Tankard and her associate artist, photographer and visual artist Regis Lansac. Tankard's work for her Meryl Tankard Company explored the relationship between movement and imagery with Lansac's slide projections providing a visual counterpart to the choreography. This was especially apparent in works such as Banshee and Nuti, both made in conjunction with exhibitions staged by the National Gallery of Australia, but the collaboration continued to develop throughout the life of the Meryl Tankard Company and continues to the present day. In Canberra the company performed in a variety of spaces, including Commonwealth Gardens during the 1990 Floriade festival when Tankard staged her outdoor piece Court of Flora. From Canberra the company toured to various venues in Australia and to Japan, China, Indonesia and Italy
Tankard left Canberra in 1992 to take up the directorship of the Adelaide-based Australian Dance Theatre, later renamed Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre.
Bibliography:
The Ausdance Guide to Australian Dance Companies, 1994 (Canberra: AGPS, 1994), pp. 263-265; 'Meryl Tankard: The Canberra Record 1989-1992', Brolga 3 (December 1995), pp. 49-52.
See also: Asker, Don ; Australian Dance Theatre ; Banshee ; Chants de mariage I & II ; Human Veins Dance Theatre ; Kikimora ; Lansac, Regis ; Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre ; Nuti ; Songs with Mara ; Tankard, Meryl ; Two Feet ; Watson, Graeme
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Lansac, Regis: Banshee, Meryl Tankard Company, 1989
- Lansac, Regis: Banshee, Meryl Tankard Company, 1989 (Picture)
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Banshee ;
Lansac, Regis
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- P503/14
nla.pic-an23738217 -
Lansac, Regis: 'Kikimora' - Roz nagging, 1990
- Lansac, Regis: 'Kikimora' - Roz nagging, 1990 (Picture)
- Scene from Meryl Tankard's work Kikimora created in Canberra for the Meryl Tankard Company. The dancers in this scene are (from left to right) Leisa Shelton, Carmela Care, Roz Hervey, Paige Gordon and Alison Brazier.
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Gordon, Paige ;
Hervey, Roz ;
Lansac, Regis ;
Kikimora
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- P503/19
nla.pic-an24092755 -
Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard as Olga in 'Two Feet', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989
- Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard as Olga in 'Two Feet', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989 (Picture)
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Tankard, Meryl ;
Lansac, Regis ;
Two Feet
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P1767/1
nla.pic-an13019319 -
Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in 'Songs with Mara', 1992
- Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in 'Songs with Mara', 1992 (Picture)
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Tankard, Meryl ;
Songs with Mara ;
Lansac, Regis
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P1767/2
nla.pic-an13019301 -
Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in a study for 'Kikimora', Meryl Tankard Company, 1990
- Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in a study for 'Kikimora', Meryl Tankard Company, 1990 (Picture)
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Lansac, Regis ;
Tankard, Meryl ;
Kikimora
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P503/21
nla.pic-an23737499 -
Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in her 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992
- Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in her 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
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Tankard, Meryl ;
Chants de mariage I & II ;
Lansac, Regis
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P503/7
nla.pic-an23779623 -
Lansac, Regis: Patrick Maguire in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989
- Lansac, Regis: Patrick Maguire in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989 (Picture)
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Banshee ;
Lansac, Regis
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- P503/16
nla.pic-an24092728 -
- Photographs of Meryl Tankard and the Meryl Tankard Company, 1984-1992 (Picture)
- Portraits of Meryl Tankard in 1984 and 1988, and a collection of twenty-seven photographs by Regis Lansac documenting selected Canberra productions by the Meryl Tankard Company, 1989-1992. Productions represented are Banshee, Chants de mariage, Echo Point, Kikimora, Nuti and Pile-up.
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Banshee ;
Nuti ;
Chants de mariage I & II ;
Tankard, Meryl ;
Kikimora ;
Lansac, Regis
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- P570/1-3; P503/1-27
nla.pic-an10568248 -
Lansac, Regis: Rehearsal for Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992
- Lansac, Regis: Rehearsal for Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
- Dancers are (left to right) Michelle Ryan, Tuula Roppola, Rochelle Carmichael and Sarah Chifley.
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Roppola, Tuula ;
Chants de mariage I & II ;
Tankard, Meryl
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P503/12
nla.pic-an23737430 -
Lansac, Regis: Rochelle Carmichael and Michelle Ryan in Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992
- Lansac, Regis: Rochelle Carmichael and Michelle Ryan in Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
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Chants de mariage I & II ;
Tankard, Meryl
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P503/13
nla.pic-an24092582 -
Lansac, Regis: Roz [Hervey] in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989
- Lansac, Regis: Roz [Hervey] in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989 (Picture)
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Hervey, Roz ;
Banshee
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- P503/15
nla.pic-an23779611 -
Lansac, Regis: Roz Hervey in a publicity still for Graeme Watson's 'Pile Up', Meryl Tankard Company, 1990
- Lansac, Regis: Roz Hervey in a publicity still for Graeme Watson's 'Pile Up', Meryl Tankard Company, 1990 (Picture)
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Hervey, Roz ;
Watson, Graeme
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P503/27
nla.pic-an23737448 -
Lansac, Regis: Roz Hervey in Meryl Tankard's 'Nuti', Meryl Tankard Company, 1990
- Lansac, Regis: Roz Hervey in Meryl Tankard's 'Nuti', Meryl Tankard Company, 1990 (Picture)
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Nuti ;
Hervey, Roz ;
Tankard, Meryl
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P503/25
nla.pic-an23716188 -
Lansac, Regis: Scene from Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992
- Lansac, Regis: Scene from Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
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Chants de mariage I & II ;
Tankard, Meryl
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P503/6
nla.pic-an24092565 -
Lansac, Regis: Scene from Meryl Tankard's 'Nuti', Meryl Tankard company, 1990
- Lansac, Regis: Scene from Meryl Tankard's 'Nuti', Meryl Tankard company, 1990 (Picture)
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Nuti ;
Tankard, Meryl
- Location:
- Pictures Collection
- National Library of Australia
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nla.pic-an24092944 -
Lansac, Regis: Tuula Roppola in Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage I', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992
- Lansac, Regis: Tuula Roppola in Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage I', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
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Roppola, Tuula ;
Tankard, Meryl ;
Chants de mariage I & II
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P503/6
nla.pic-an23737200 -
Lansac, Regis: Tuula Roppola in rehearsal for Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992
- Lansac, Regis: Tuula Roppola in rehearsal for Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
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Chants de mariage I & II ;
Roppola, Tuula ;
Tankard, Meryl
- Location:
- National Library of Australia
- PIC P503/1
nla.pic-an24092530 -
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