ROS WARBY’S MONUMENTAL

“The inspiration comes from the dancing body,” says Melbourne and LA-based choreographer and dancer Ros Warby. In Monumental she explores the iconic figures of the swan and the soldier. “My background is as a classically trained dancer, I have that in my system,” explains Warby. Appearing on stage as part of this year’s Spring Dance program, grounded in the work of the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, The New York Times said of the performance: “Ms Warby does more than question ideals of beauty: she takes the swan and unleashes its power.” Collaborator Margie Medlin provides the visual backdrop to the dance: archival images of birds in distress, cormorants in oil slicks, birds crashing into the sea, raw and rough images interspersed with filmic close-ups of Warby in dress; while Helen Mountfort accompanies on solo cello. Says Warby, “I am using the swan as a vehicle to look at the various human elements of vulnerability, power, distress and beauty.”

Sep 3-4, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, $35, 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com