DANZ QUARTERLY No 2 December 2005

In the Midst of a Java Whirl

by Lyne Pringle, NSSAC Coordinator, DANZ

Sacha Copland is beautifully intense and moves at the centre of the whirl that is Wellington’s Java Dance Company.  I spoke to her about their achievements this year.

The fledgling group of Sacha, Rosanne Christie and Yasmine Ganley, all New Zealand School of Dance graduates, has had a bumper year, even generating an income for themselves for several months – but it was close one!  At one point during our interview Sacha flashes her teeth maniacally and says “August/September was crazy!  What we were trying to achieve was bordering on the impossible – we didn’t know if we would make it.”

Their year began with a season of short works called Snapshot  for the Wellington Fringe involving four choreographers and six dancers. An audition process was held for the extra dancers and choreographers - usually Sacha is responsible for the company’s choreographic output.

With minimal funding from the Wellington City Council, their third year of existence was underway. They consistently have 60 – 70% attendance for their shows and Snapshot was no exception. A time-consuming CNZ application was achieved as the season wrapped up. Their show was packed out on Saturday and on Sunday they embarked on a whirlwind trip to Auckland for the PANNZ Market – a chance to peddle their show to producers and venue managers from around the country.

In April they reworked Rush Hour (2004), then Sacha joined the cast of Mauifor two months. Rosanne and Yasmine began devising a children’s show based on the book Giraffes Can’t Dance, for a season at Capital E during the Dance Your Socks Off Festival.

In June they took Rush Hour on a schools’ tour in conjunction with the National Secondary Schools Arts Coordinator Project for Dance. They toured the West Coast, Nelson, Bay of Plenty and Rotorua - 10 schools in two weeks and 1200 students! The schools loved them and they were able to develop their skills as performers for students and consolidate the Rush Hour repertoire.

By August they were back in town, drawing breath for the marathon ahead of them. They had one month to get together the children’s show and a double bill of Rush Hour and Espresso (2003) – 1 hour and 40 minutes of non-stop very physical dancing - hence the maniacal look on Sacha’s face!

 “It was crazy; we worked from nine to nine and seemed to be always warm.  The process was satisfying physically but our personal lives suffered; we never saw our partners.”

“It was only achievable because of the solidity of our working relationships. We had a few ‘moments’ but generally no egos get in the way.  There were some scares in terms of safety when I felt very responsible.”

Java opened with their marathon double bill at Expressions in Upper Hutt, the invitation a result of the PANNZ market. The next day they opened Giraffe at Capital E; returning to the Hutt for three nights and then another week of Giraffe - twoshows per day!

Next was an Auckland self-funded three night season of Rush Hour at TAPAC - which had good houses. Whilst in Auckland they taught classes at private studios and these students attended the performances.

During this latter period they managed to pay themselves as well as putting a percentage into the company for ongoing costs and development.  So far Java has received $10,000 in funding, mainly from the Wellington City Council; they are yet to secure Creative New Zealand funding.

Sacha does all the organisation and scheduling as well as choreographing. She also teaches regularly at the NZ School of Dance and does gigs such as choreographing A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Circa Theatre. 

How was this achieved? Sacha says“By jumping in at the deep end, by making mistakes.” She says it would be easier if they had money to pay for regular studio space. “The NZ School of Dance has been great and we get a good deal there, but we have to work around classes.  It is often a problem with cash flow: often when we are the busiest we are the poorest.  We are looking for a good producer - it would be nice to offload some of the admin and production responsibilities.”

Next year Java is planning another season of Snapshots. Sacha has a heavy teaching load, then joins Maui again for a season in Christchurch. They are planning another schools tour and hope to take Rush Hour to The Body and Tempo Festivals, as well as a return season in Wellington. Sacha comments: “I am happy with Rush Hour now after all the opportunities this year to rework it.”

Java 2005 - Six seasons, 33 shows, an audience of 2900, determined, embryonic, focused, proactive, ambitious and slightly manic – you bet!!!

Return to Contents page of DANZ QUARTERLY N0 2 December 2005