Double Blind - An electric new dance work from award-winning choreographer, Stephanie Lake

One of Australia's most commanding choreographers Stephanie Lake explores the ideas of authority, obedience, morality and personal responsibility in her provocative new dance work, Double Blind, which will make its Melbourne debut at Northcote Town Hall this February following its 2016 Sydney Festival world premiere.

Four world-class Australian dancers, Alisdair Macindoe, Alana Everett, Amber Haines and Kyle Page twist and turn, vacillate, vibrate and ultimately bend and break under authority in the production which asks how far one can be pushed to act outside of one's moral code when instructed to by those in power. Lake's electric choreography is supported by an original composition from internationally acclaimed audio-visual artist and composer, Robin Fox.

"Double Blind was partly inspired by the Milgram Experiments' of the 1960's in which subjects were asked to inflict electricity voltage on subjects behind a wall, when they answered questions incorrectly. The subjects didn't realise that the test subjects were in fact actors and that the screams and sounds of distress that they were hearing were not real. The experiment sought to find out where the limits of personal responsibility lay in relation to receiving instruction from an authoritative figure.

This idea of the conflict between a personal morality and our relationship with those in positions of authority was the seed of the work and something I feel to be relevant to our time," said Stephanie Lake, whose recent credits include AORTA (Chunky Move), internationally celebrated DUAL, Dream Lucid (Sydney Dance Company/Sydney Opera House) and the Melbourne Festival production A Small Prometheus, which earnt her a Helpmann Award.

Robin Fox, whose work has been featured in Festivals worldwide including Henie Onstad Kunstcenter (Oslo), Mois Multi Festival (Quebec) and Yokohama Triennale, is also a Helpmann Award recipient. He received a Helpmann Award for Best Visual Production for his groundbreaking work on the Chunky Move production, Mortal Engine as well as an honorary mention at the illustrious Prix Ars Electronica for the work. He also scored the critically acclaimed work Connected with Oren Ambarchi and has produced two works, RGB and Drift, with innovative choreographer, Antony Hamilton.

Double Blind provides the perfect platform for the collaborative partnership. Together, Stephanie Lake and Robin Fox have framed a production that is at times humorous, at others, menacing and intelligent in its approach.

DOUBLE BLIND CREDITS:

Choreographer Stephanie Lake
Dancers Alana Everett, Alisdair Macindoe, Amber Haines, Kyle Page
Composer Robin Fox
Lighting Designer Bosco Shaw
Costume Designer Harriet Oxley
Production Manager Glenn Dulihanty
Producer Freya Waterson

DOUBLE BLIND EVENT DETAILS:

Season Dates: 15-20 February 2016, 8pm
Venue: Northcote Town Hall, 189 High St, Northcote
Cost: Full $32.00, Concession $27.00 (Students, Health Care Card Holders, Equity Members), Group 4+ $27.00
Bookings: www.darebinarts.com.au 03 9481 9500
Duration: 60 minutes no interval