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Lansac, Regis: The Underwater Cabaret from 'Echo Point', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989

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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Research Materials

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Lansac, Regis: Banshee, Meryl Tankard Company, 1989

Lansac, Regis: Banshee, Meryl Tankard Company, 1989

Lansac, Regis: Banshee, Meryl Tankard Company, 1989 (Picture)
Banshee ; Lansac, Regis
Location:
National Library of Australia
P503/14
nla.pic-an23738217
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Lansac, Regis: 'Kikimora' - Roz nagging, 1990

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.
Gordon, Paige ; Hervey, Roz ; Lansac, Regis ; Kikimora
Location:
National Library of Australia
P503/19
nla.pic-an24092755
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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

Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard as Olga in 'Two Feet', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989 (Picture)
Tankard, Meryl ; Lansac, Regis ; Two Feet
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P1767/1
nla.pic-an13019319
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Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in 'Songs with Mara', 1992

Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in 'Songs with Mara', 1992

Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in 'Songs with Mara', 1992 (Picture)
Tankard, Meryl ; Songs with Mara ; Lansac, Regis
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P1767/2
nla.pic-an13019301
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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

Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in a study for 'Kikimora', Meryl Tankard Company, 1990 (Picture)
Lansac, Regis ; Tankard, Meryl ; Kikimora
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P503/21
nla.pic-an23737499
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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

Lansac, Regis: Meryl Tankard in her 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
Tankard, Meryl ; Chants de mariage I & II ; Lansac, Regis
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P503/7
nla.pic-an23779623
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Lansac, Regis: Patrick Maguire in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989

Lansac, Regis: Patrick Maguire in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989

Lansac, Regis: Patrick Maguire in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989 (Picture)
Banshee ; Lansac, Regis
Location:
National Library of Australia
P503/16
nla.pic-an24092728
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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.
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
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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

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.
Roppola, Tuula ; Chants de mariage I & II ; Tankard, Meryl
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P503/12
nla.pic-an23737430
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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

Lansac, Regis: Rochelle Carmichael and Michelle Ryan in Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
Chants de mariage I & II ; Tankard, Meryl
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P503/13
nla.pic-an24092582
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Lansac, Regis: Roz [Hervey] in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989

Lansac, Regis: Roz [Hervey] in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989

Lansac, Regis: Roz [Hervey] in 'Banshee', Meryl Tankard Company, 1989 (Picture)
Hervey, Roz ; Banshee
Location:
National Library of Australia
P503/15
nla.pic-an23779611
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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

Lansac, Regis: Roz Hervey in a publicity still for Graeme Watson's 'Pile Up', Meryl Tankard Company, 1990 (Picture)
Hervey, Roz ; Watson, Graeme
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P503/27
nla.pic-an23737448
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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

Lansac, Regis: Roz Hervey in Meryl Tankard's 'Nuti', Meryl Tankard Company, 1990 (Picture)
Nuti ; Hervey, Roz ; Tankard, Meryl
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P503/25
nla.pic-an23716188
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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

Lansac, Regis: Scene from Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage II', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
Chants de mariage I & II ; Tankard, Meryl
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P503/6
nla.pic-an24092565
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Lansac, Regis: Scene from Meryl Tankard's 'Nuti', Meryl Tankard company, 1990

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)
Nuti ; Tankard, Meryl
Location:
Pictures Collection
National Library of Australia

nla.pic-an24092944
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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

Lansac, Regis: Tuula Roppola in Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage I', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
Roppola, Tuula ; Tankard, Meryl ; Chants de mariage I & II
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P503/6
nla.pic-an23737200
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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

Lansac, Regis: Tuula Roppola in rehearsal for Meryl Tankard's 'Chants de mariage', Meryl Tankard Company, 1992 (Picture)
Chants de mariage I & II ; Roppola, Tuula ; Tankard, Meryl
Location:
National Library of Australia
PIC P503/1
nla.pic-an24092530
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