Kilda Northcott and Lyne Pringle (Bipeds Productions) will preview their new dance work Lily, celebrating Dunedin dance teacher Lily Stevens, at the Fortune Theatre during the Dunedin Fringe Festival 2009.

Kilda Northcott and Lyne Pringle (Bipeds Productions) will preview their new dance work Lily, celebrating Dunedin dance teacher Lily Stevens, at the Fortune Theatre during the Dunedin Fringe Festival 2009.

This funny, beautiful and stirring dance theatre work presents a heady and hilarious interpretation of the life of long-serving Dunedin doyenne and ballet teacher Lily Stevens; who was renowned for her competition dances and her inspired often rigorous teaching. It delves into the catatonic state that sometimes ensued after Lily’s lavish end of year recitals.

It is a must see event which celebrates the rich cultural community of Dunedin and the enormous contribution that private sector dance teachers make to the development of young people’s imaginations.

Life was not always easy for Lily, she made great sacrifices for her art; the huge outpourings from the rich hive of her imagination often came at great personal cost. This work offers an interpretation of her bouts of depression as well as the great joy she experienced in her love of the dance.

A section takes the audience on one of her many overseas adventures to collect national dances from all over Europe in order to teach to her students on return. There is an ingenious use of video projection throughout created by innovative theatre practitioner Stephen Bain.
Danced to gorgeous piano Etudes by Chopin the work concludes with a vivid and sensuous celebration of Barefoot dancing.

A unique aspect of the evening will be the inclusion of young dancers from the Dunedin School of Ballet and Dance performing alongside these seasoned performers and guest choreography from the school’s director Robyn Sinclair.

Bipeds Productions have garnered many awards and great critical acclaim for their cutting edge dance work. In 2008 Northcott was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to dance.

Lyne Pringle has been researching this project for 3 years. Grants from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Oral History Fund enabled her to interview former students of Lily (these are now in the Turnbull Library): she also spent time with Lily’s archive at the Hocken Library.

Lyne Pringle grew up in Dunedin, in this very heartfelt project she pays tribute to her grandmother, who danced with Lily and to her first dance teachers who were students of Lily.

“One of the highlights of the show has to be the image of Kilda [Northcott] as a collapsed Lily, completely transformed by the crown of a tiny tutu - a tragic portrait of theatrical, owl-eyed exhaustion… Lily is a work of beautifully inter-woven narrative and great comedic timing.” Theatreview

“It delightfully incorporated local ballet students into the closing scenes, with everyone in burnt orange Grecian tunics and with Lily showering them with flowers.” New Zealand Herald.

Dates: April 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Venue: Fortune Theatre Main Stage
Time: 7pm (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) 4pm (5th) (Duration 50 mins)
Prices: Full: $18 Concession: $12 Group (6+): $10
Bookings: 03 477 8597, 0800 4 ticket
www.ticketdirect.co.nz Door sales available at The Fortune Theatre