Rising star of Rambert Dance Company, Dane Hurst chats to Beth Wood, prior to his latest choreographic work, Common Sounds: Touching the Void, which takes place at the former Commonwealth Institute on the 15-17 July as part of the 2011 InTRANSIT festival (22-31 July). In collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra, the NeoFuturist Collective and others have come together to devise new audio-kinetic adventures within this iconic building on Kensington High St.

Images © Mike Massaro

Bethan Wood: Sir Robert Matthew's building has been closed to the public since 2002, in Common Sounds: Touching the Void the piece looks to explore this space, could you tell me about the space you’re exploring?

Dane Hurst: I will be exploring three different spaces for this project. The main atrium space, a damp basement in an undisclosed location and a 400 seat sunken theatre.

BW: How did this opportunity come up?

DH: I collaborated with lighting designer Paul Green for the Place Prize 2010 and then again for the Rambert Season of New Choreography at the Linbury Theatre, Covent Garden. He has worked with Secret Cinema and Fruit for the Apocalypse of the latter have commissioned him for Common Sounds and as a result recommended me as a choreographer and performer for the project.

BW: With the view to perceive both the past and present of the building how did you begin to work with the space choreographically, what initiated that process?

DH: Having already performed at the Commonwealth Institute in 2003 as part of a dance competition I had established a vague idea about the space and its dimensions. Even then it seemed to impose itself with little regard for anything apart from asserting its power and presence over the landscape. It is very different to any other building in the vicinity and has an otherworldly sense about it. Upon entering the second time round I was immediately affected by the dereliction and desolation, the smell and the coldness. In its empty state it made me think of an evacuation and in its destroyed state it made me think of war. I have incorporated these sensations into three different choreographic ideas; Battle, Wasteland and The Underworld.

BW: What experiences do you see forming between the audience and the space over the three days?

DH: Well, the audience will have free reign at times to explore at their own will but they will also be forced into certain scenarios and challenged in some way. We are still devising how it will all work but the idea is for everybody to have a better understanding of the essence of this iconic building and taste a bit of its tragic romance.

BW: Collaborations are a key theme in dance, what did you especially enjoy about the process of working with such a wonderful and diverse group of collaborators?

DH: It is always going to be a mixed bag and you just never know whom you’ll end up working with. So far I have encountered some seriously genuine artists who’s driving force is creation and discovery and just being among this creative chaos triggers certain unchartered avenues. It has been awesome to work with designers Tea Mulabdic and Helen Scarlett and film artist Kira Zhi on the Wasteland and The Underworld. The final product still remains to be seen though…

BW: To what effect has the experience of collaborating with this group had on this piece and on your own personal style of working?

DH: It’s all about creative ideas and knowing that everybody has them. The trick is to focus on your own and make allowances for others. Kira has a very dark approach to her film work and this has inspired me to employ a more sinister approach to certain scenes. The costume designs by Helen Scarlett have inspired a certain way of moving in order to make full use of the fabric. Tea on the other hand was right up my street as we had a very similar taste for mannequins and the tortured sculpture. We mostly work separate to each other and come together to discuss and summarize. The dancers who have been working with me have been amazing throughout the process even though some are professional and others students. We move into the space this week so it’ll all soon make sense.

Images © Mike Massaro

BW: Does this process differ from your creative process working with Rambert?

DH: It’s so different yet very similar. The creative idea is the driving force and artists are employed to see the idea through to fruition. Rambert has dance, music and design at its heart similar to this Common Sounds project. The big difference is in the budgets and timetable though; for example, I am required to create three different pieces, to three different pieces of music and collaborate with three or four different collaborators and have everything done in seven rehearsals. Rambert on the other have a five week minimum rehearsal schedule for one piece, so this is ridiculously epic and slightly crazy but I’m keeping calm and looking up.

BW: Dancing for Rambert you are often travelling, how does your perception change depending on each space you visit and to what effect can or does this have on the performance experience itself?

DH: Touring is what I enjoy most and having an opportunity to visit and revisit certain parts of the world and perform in many different theatres leave a lasting impression on the heart and psyche. Where I go becomes my home and each new space has its echoes and histories and stories; you can sometimes feel the lingering energy when you stand on stage and look out into the vast expanse of a Victorian Theatre or lie in a corner in some corridor somewhere. It is like walking into an old house; you can almost hear the voices in the distance. There is an old tale that says; if you enter a building or a room you need to make sure you exit the same way so as to show your spirit they way out. I believe in this to some extent and feel that there are so many spirits or soul/beings roaming around and trapped inside spaces that sometimes you can feel a heightened sense of awareness or connectedness to another dimension when you’re deep in an immersive performance.

BW: You are now based in London, do you find time to relax and explore in the city? What inspires you about the city?

DH: There’s just so much to do and see and so many people to do and see it with. The possibilities are endless and it feels more like a privilege to be living and working here, as it is a cultural melting pot where people come to broaden their horizons. There is no formula, I just go where the impulse takes me and so far I’ve lived on a boat, in Richmond, Twickenham, Acton, Southfields, Manor House, Chiswick, Elephant and Castle, Crouch End and now Notting Hill. Living in an area is the perfect way to feel its pulse and experience its attributes.

BW: It is clear that you have already achieved so much, who do you turn to for inspiration?

DH: Great people inspire me, those who pursue their ideas and do just that with respect for others and firmness in their beliefs. Ayrton Senna was a legend, Nelson Mandela a saviour, Michael Jackson an innovator, Ai Wei Wei a revolutionary, Pina Bausch a creator, the list continues as I discover more and more.

BW: Finally, looking ahead to 2011/12 what plans have you got within Rambert and your own projects?

DH: I take each day as it comes and can only see as far as the end of this project. With Rambert I know I would like to stay until they move to the new premises on the South Bank because I feel that is where the company belongs and that is where I can utilise the choreographic opportunities available to me with the purpose built in house theatre space. I’m not sure whether choreography is for me but I will immerse myself in those types of possibilities for the next three years and see what comes from that. I overlook the old Mercury Theatre building as I write this and can feel a sense of synchronicity at play. My dream was to travel to London and go to the Rambert School, that happened then I ended up at the Company and I now live next door to where the company found itself in the 1920’s where the paint is now falling off the wall. So every morning I look onto it and see the word Mercury. Liquid metal. Impossible, almost close to the impossibility of me being here in the first place coming from where I’m from. I am therefore privileged and will make the most of it all while I’m here.

Images © Mike Massaro

InTRANSIT takes place once a year and transform the streets, parks and public places of Kensington and Chelsea into a riotous feast of culture. This year InTRANSIT launches at the former Commonwealth Institute with Common Sounds: Touching the Void, three days of unique performances that take the audience on a journey deep into the building, which opens for the first time in ten years.

If you’d like the live link for InTRANSIT it’s: www.rbkc.gov.uk/intransit