Lucy Guerin’s choreography has grown from an interest in dance as a source of unique creativity and communication. Although her works incorporate diverse art forms, their genesis is always the physicality of the human body. Her choreographic methods juxtapose complex structures and ideas with an instinctive studio investigation into the possibilities of movement. It is the visceral and unfamiliar quality of her works, combined with a sharp investigation into ideas that has allowed them to resonate with audiences for more than 20 years.
Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Guerin graduated from the Centre for Performing Arts in 1982 before joining the companies of Russell Dumas (Dance Exchange) and Nanette Hassall (Danceworks). She moved to New York in 1989 for seven years where she danced with Tere O’Connor Dance, the Bebe Miller Company and Sara Rudner and began to produce her first choreographic works. She returned to Australia in 1996 and worked as an independent artist, creating dance works including Two Lies (1996) Robbery Waitress on Bail (1997), Heavy (1999) and The Ends of Things (2000). In 2002 she established Lucy Guerin Inc in Melbourne to support the development, creation and touring of new works with a focus on challenging and extending the concepts and practice of contemporary dance.
Works for Lucy Guerin Inc include Structure and Sadness (2006), Corridor (2008), Untrained (2009) and Human Interest Story (2010). She has choreographed several projects for visual artist David Rosetzky, including Portrait of Cate Blanchett (2008) and has been involved in productions with ACMI screen gallery, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera.
Guerin has toured her work extensively in the UK, Europe, Asia and North America as well as to most of Australia’s major festivals and venues. She has been commissioned by Chunky Move, Ros Warby, Dance Works Rotterdam, Ricochet (UK) and Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project (USA) among many other companies. Her awards include the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award, a New York Dance and Performance Award (a ‘Bessie’), several Green Room Awards, a Helpmann and an Australian Dance Award. (Text courtesy of the artist.)
www.lucyguerininc.com
opposing forces
eleanor brickhill, realtime 9, october-november 1995
all swans together: dw98 and post-show forum
virginia baxter, realtime 27, october-november 1998
when can the teacher dance?
jonathan marshall, realtime 38, august-september 2000
lucy guerin: finality and new directions
shaun mcleod, realtime 39, october-november 2000
lucy guerin interview: between temperature & temperament
jonathan marshall, realtime 52, december-january 2002
melbourne international festival: inside out/outside in
sophie travers talks to lucy guerin about two new festival works, realtime 75, october-november 2006
weather patterns & word dances
keith gallasch: interview lucy guerin: conversation piece & weather
realtime 110 august – september 2012
documents in australian postmodern dance: two interviews with lucy guerin
jonathan marshall, australasian drama studies 41, october 2002, pp. 102-133
working with sara rudner
elizabeth dempster and sally gardner, writings on dance, no.8, winter 1992, pages
incarnadine, 1994 (australian premiere 1996)
moments and movements
wendy lasica, realtime 16, december-january 1996
robbery waitress on bail, 1997
outside outward display: tradition and the derivative
eleanor brickhall, realtime 19, june-july 1997
praise the lord
zsuzsanna soboslay, realtime 23, february-march 1998
touching lightly
virginia baxter, realtime 36, april-may 2000
remote, 1997
the history of our dancing bodies is becoming hot
eleanor brickhill, realtime 23, december 1997-january 1998
heavy, 1998
shakespeare’s pillowslips
philipa rothfield, zsuzsanna soboslay-moore, realtime 28, december 1998-january 1999
bodyparts, 1999
in the design
wendy lasica, realtime 30, april-may 1999
25 songs on 25 lines of words on arts statement for seven voices and dance, 1999
25 songs on 25 lines of words on arts statement for seven voices and dance
edward scheer, realtime 31, june-july 1999
25 songs …
joe felber, realtime 38, august-september 2000
zero, 1999
chunky news
realtime, realtime 32, august-september 1999
cyberistic power and human fraility
eleanor brickhill, realtime 33, october-november 1999
gift, 2000
live acts #4: steady boppin’, ass droppin’
jonathan marshall, realtime 35, february-march 2000
the ends of things, 2000
falling, breaking and at an end
philipa rothfield, realtime 40, december-january 2000
becomings and belongings: lucy guerin’s the ends of things
melissa blanco, brolga 31, 2009, pp. 31-37.
immaculate melding
keith gallasch, realtime 58, december-january 2003
hypermobile, 2001
tasdance: hypermobile fitness
diana klaosen, realtime 41, february-march 2001
arcade, 2001
consumption a la mode: chunky move, arcade
philipa rothfield, realtime 43, june-july 2001
plasticine park, 2003
the illuminating presence
philipa rothfield, realtime 58, december 2003-january 2004
tense dave, 2003
contaminating bodies, existential dances: review of tense dave
jonathan marshall, realtime 58, december 2003-january 2004
the darkness that yields light
keith gallasch, realtime 59, february-march 2004
love me, 2005
love undone
keith gallasch, realtime 69, october-november 2005
pieces for small spaces, 2005
lateral moves
philipa rothfield, realtime 70, december-january 2005
corridor, 2008
awestruck by dance: dance in the melbourne festival (review of corridor)
john bailey, realtime 88, december 2008-january 2009
a branching practice: interview with haco
gail priest, realtime 88, december 2008-january 2009
two faced bastard, 2009
awestruck by dance: dance in the melbourne festival
john bailey, realtime 88, december 2008-january 2009
untrained, 2009
reality dance
keith gallasch, realtime 90, april-may 2009
nothing hidden, much gained
carl nilsson-polias, realtime, march 12, 2009
australian dance: unseen at home
sophie travers, realtime 95, february-march 2010
conversation piece, 2012
talk about going to pieces!
keith gallasch, realtime 111, october-november, 2012
old tropes & the new disconnect
carl nilsson-polias, dance massive 2013 online feature
dance: installed, immersed, hybridised
keith gallasch, dance massive 2013, realtime 114, april-may, 2013
sounds to dance to, with, against
gail priest: sound design in dance massive 2013
realtime 114, april-may, 2013
weather, 2012
world class: twixt exotic & universal
john bailey: 2012 melbourne international arts festival
realtime 112 december 2012-january 2013
Thumbnail: Antony Hamilton, Kirstie McCracken and Byron Perry, Aether, photo Rachel Roberts