Australia Dancing - Meryl Tankard Company (1989

Meryl Tankard Company (1989 - 1992)

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

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.

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Find more about Meryl Tankard Company in:

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