You Dance Funny
Text
Gardens Park Golf Links, The Gardens, Darwin
August 17 - 19 & 22 - 26, 2007
Darwin Festival
Freaks, Misfits and Has-Beens
Roll up, roll up as the world’s whack-iest dance carnival comes to town! Step into the ring for a mystical night of entertainment with this star-studded line up of freaks, misfits and has-beens.
YOU DANCE FUNNY is a comedy dance show, set in a boxing ring, in the style of an old-fashioned carnival roadshow. Delve into a sideshow of delights, with sizzling salsa, heavenly hip-hop, boy band banality and a side-slapping, nerve jangling, bone-crunching feast of dance spectacle.
Forget the nail-biting climax of ‘Dancing With the Stars’. Forget the anguish of who to vote for on ‘Australian Idol’. YOU DANCE FUNNY delivers the sort of edge of your seat drama not experienced in Darwin since Mavis Chin took out ‘First Runner Up’ in the closely contested ‘packed lunch’ section of the 1967 Freds Pass Show.
Director's Notes
“Modern dance is not meant to be funny!”
This show has come from a very deep, deep need to laugh more. In my early career in Melbourne, while directing an experimental dance company, a dear friend and early mentor regularly used to ask me – “When are you going to do something funny?” and in my youth, I would think – “Modern dance is not meant to be funny!” Well, now I have changed my mind. In the grandness of my middle age, and with everything in our world attempting to make us afraid, I have decided to take the deadly serious dance form, and turn it on its head, and its side, and add a twist. To this, a taste of Darwin has been added. This is stand up comedy where the performers have to do more than stand up. The entire show went through a workshop period with the cast, where many very serious ideas were explored. In the final form, the cast will perform multiple dance forms, styles and cultural influences, the whole mix placed in the ring, literally, and then dropped in the middle of a golf course, with audiences and locals challenged to dance – funny!
David McMicken
Creative Personnel
Concept and Direction: David McMicken
Assistant Directors: Tim Newth and Gail Evans
Designer: Tim Newth
Writer: Gail Evans
Additional Writing: David McMicken, Kin Leong and Yoris Wilson
Choreography: David McMicken, Julia Quinn, and cast
Salsa Maestro: Joao Pereira –Salsita Dance School
Salsa Instructor: Michele Dott
Costumes: Anne Gibb
Composer, Sound Engineer & Sound Operator: Matthew Cunliffe
Lighting Designer: Reuben Hopkins
Production Personal
Lighting Operator: Tristan Bourke
Production and Stage Manager: Suzi Cordell
Assistant Stage Managers: Carolla Brockschmidt, Taylor Hailes, Daniel Alderman
Follow Spot Operator: Tom Pryce
Bump in Assistant: Reuben de Waal
Technical and Rigging Assistance: Chris Kluge
Boxing Ring Coordinator: Boyd Scully
Mrs Hemmings’ Hair Stylist: Lyndall’s Hair Care (Karama)
Catering: Cee Cea’s
Production and Promotion Personnel
Promotions & Publicity: Fiona Carter and Skye Raabe
Poster Image and Design: Mark Marcelis
Graphic Design: Narelle Sullivan
Front of House Manager: Nicola Jackson
Photographic Documentation: Peter Eve
DVD Documentation: Todd Williams, Katie Saunders and Ian Redfearn
Performers
The Inferno Family
Signiora Secondina – Crena Hemmings
Femmina da’Inferno – Gail Evans
Ruffiano Inferno – Yoris Wilson
Cara Inferno – Kelly Beneforti
Mia Inferno – Ciella Williams
‘Chuck’ Chu Bang Bang Loong Fatt Inferno – Kin Leong
‘Chip’ Chu Bang Bang Short Fatt Inferno – Erwin Fenis
Hoopla Inferno – Emil Coutts-Kidd
The Challengers
Judith Allen and Ellen Hankin
Audrey Gorring, Shirley Somers and Bev Paget
Gabriella Austin
Greg Stehle
Julia Gray and Yola Gray
Imanuel Dado, Phillip Koenig and John Rigas
Scenario
- The Introduction
- Round One: The Wipe Out Warm-Up
- Round Two: The Producer’s Pep Talk
- Round Three: The Lesser Challenge
- Round Four: The Ravers
- Round Five: The Grande Challenge
- Round Six: The Afterthought Challenge
- Round Seven: King Krumper
- Round Eight: Just Shirley
- Round Nine: La Famiglia Del’Inferno Extravaganza
Tracks 2007
Artistic Directors: David McMicken and Tim Newth
General Manager: Fiona Carter
Dance Animateur: Julia Quinn
Youth Dance Animateur: Erwin Fenis
Administrative Assistant: Skye Raabe
Bookkeeper: Julie Ann Stark
Development Consultant: Suzanne Fermanis
Committee Members: (Chair) Jill MacAndrew, (Vice-Chair) Jackie Wurm/David Taylor, (Treasurer) Glenn Bernardin, (Secretary/Public Officer) Traci Keys, (Ordinary Committee Members) Ken Conway, Nick Papandonakis, Donna Quong, (Ex-Officio Members) David McMicken and Tim Newth
Public Fund Trustees: Rev. Steve Orme, Dr Anita Toth, Paul Wan
Photos
Videos
Explore Further
Media Response
“We know when it happens – those times when Darwin turns on the kind of night that couldn’t happen anywhere else. And a comedy dance performance in a boxing ring near a water hazard on a golf course is unique.
But it’s not the details that make this show special, it’s the whole mood…it’s as much a comedy as a dance show but when the dancing happens, it’s excellent.
This is not the kind of show you would find if you went to a fancy dance show in Sydney and that’s what makes it special.
The interaction between the crowd and the cast creates an intimate little scene on the edge of the lake… The jokes are funny, which helps, and the humour is pure Darwin... it’s nights like this one where you really appreciate what this town has to offer.” Ben Langford, NT News
“One of the most popular shows in the Darwin Festival … Including break dancing, an Irish jig, and an amazing hoola hoop act, it’s hard for the judges (including the amazing tap dancing grandmother) to select their winner … highly entertaining." Kate Humphries, ABC
“Side splittingly funny… even the guys would love it. It is Yoris and crew at their silliest best. Yes a little bit of quite good dancing, but mostly a local show written by locals for locals… and very, very, very well done. It is also almost worth it just to be able to sit in the golf course at night - it is the most spectacular natural setting… for a boxing ring!!!” Marie-Louise Pearson Manager, NT SingTel Optus Pty Ltd
Audience Response
“Extremely good and very funny.” Linda Deans
“That was great, it was better than physio.” Audience member