Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/699546
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 30 This Week TLIETA (3) takes the work of female choreographers as its main impetus. Why do you think this is relevant to the con- temporary dance scene, par- ticularly in Malta? Well, actually the discourse on the imbalanced proportion of choreographic work developed by wom0en is one that has been very current in the global creative sector. Of course, one doesn't want to latch onto a discourse that is just 'fashionable' but I feel quite strongly about ensur- ing a balanced proportion for the dancers of the company to create work with both men and women not necessarily because it will provide different artistic results, but because it's important for them to be part of a creative pro- cess and organisational structure that values gender equality. The three main choreographers of the company – which are myself, Ivan Perez (associate choreogra- pher) and Jose Agudo (associate artist) – are male, so it seems right that we have a programme that is equally framed by female choreographers. The programme is also di- verse in that in really engages with three different choreogra- phers at different stages of their practice. Rachel Calleja is a very young dance maker and indeed, it's her first work on professional dancers. It's impossible for me to curate an evening of female choreographers in Malta with- out inviting Francesca Tranter to create a work. She has been at the forefront of the development of contemporary dance in Malta and has already developed a strong choreo- graphic voice on the island. For the ensemble work, I wanted to ask someone who really knew the dancers well. Athanasia has been strongly involved as one of four rehearsal directors. She is of international repute both as a dancer and c h o r e o g r a p h e r and seemed the ideal person to invite to create a work for the company. Would you say there is a sig- nificant difference in tone, theme and content when it comes to the work of female choreographers in contrast to that of their male counter- parts? What do you think is the best way to approach this dis- tinction? This is a complex question. There are many who would sug- gest that there may be a differ- ence in attitude and approach, and I guess some would try to pin it down to gender attributes. Personally for me as a dancer, difference in approach was never based on gender. As a very young dancer, I went from working with Wayne McGregor to Shoba- na Jeyasingh – both highly intel- lectual dance makers. Different ways of working, but the differ- ence was not because one was male and the other female... it had to do with their very person- al perspectives and research in- terests as crea- tors. To suggest that women pro- vide a different tone is merely reinforcing a stereotype. As I said earlier, for me its as simple as ensuring a creative environ- ment that is balanced and equal. How will Tlieta (3) express the tensions inherent in what we've just discussed, and how do you hope to convey these relevant themes and motifs to the audi- ence? I'm curious about the use of the word 'tension'... to me, the 'tension' doesn't come from the gender of the choreographers, it comes from what they have to say (regardless of their gender) about notions of identity. That's where the discourse really exists. For example, it is fair to say that the work of Athanasia, which is truly political in stance and sen- sibility, is going to ask the au- dience to really think about so many issues that are politically inherent at our present time. The work emerges from a Greek artist who literally spent time in refugee camps with immigrants. The honesty of the work is con- fronting and overwhelming, and will lead to questions. And that's what art is supposed to be about, after all. How does it feel to be perform- ing as part of the Malta Inter- national Arts Festival? Why do you think it's important to form part of its programme, and what do you think it con- tributes to the Maltese art and performance scene as a whole? Equality and quality at the forefront TEODOR RELJIC speaks to Mavin Khoo, the Artistic Director of Malta's national dance company Zfin Malta, ahead of their upcoming performance Tlieta (3) which forms part of the Malta International Arts Festival and aims to highlight the work of female choreographers, with work by Francesca Tranter, Rachel Calleja and Athanasia Kanellopoulou "It's important for me to create an organizational structure that values equality" Zfin Malta dancer Florinda Camilleri Zfin Malta Artistic Director Mavin Khoo