Trish Sie's Skyscrapers in Theatre

It isn’t every day we announce that a shots Contender has reached the dizzy heights of theatre, but this week, Trish Sie launched a new show at the renowned Joyce venue in New York based on her Skyscrapers video for OK Go (fronted by her brother Damian Kulash).

Marking her first appearance in front of the camera in the video (above), which was shot at various locations in Silverlake, Los Angeles, the elegant, quick-change dance duet follows a never-ending, ever-evolving journey in search of emotional connection. But the choreographer/director, known for breaking boundaries with her award-winning promos, has extended the original piece and pulled off another first by transferring it to the live platform in collaboration with Colonel Blimp.

Once again teaming up with international dance collective Pilobolus, who she previously worked with for an interactive Google Chrome experience for OK Go, Sie will be transcribing the video as part of a series of new works running at the theatre from this week to Saturday 11 August. Here she tells us why she wanted to resurrect the original idea and expand on the production, as well as talking about her directing techniques and an exciting new project.

Where did the original idea for the Skyscrapers video come from?

I started to hatch the idea for Skyscrapers when I was studying the Argentine tango—a very melancholy and romantic dance, a little bit gritty, but also elegant and classy. Tango is an urban dance, done in the streets, with a rich history that fascinates me, so it seemed to be a non-obvious but perfect fit for this soulful, sad song about love and loss, cities and people. When I started to imagine the video, I got really inspired by the smells, textures and colours of my own city. I wanted to collaborate with the streets, use the locations around me—vibrant, but also crumbling—to frame the dancers, to give them a surreal but familiar world through which to travel.

Why did you want to extend the idea to the theatre?

When Robby Barnett, Michael Tracy (co-artistic directors) and Itamar Kubovy (executive director) of Pilobolus Dance Theatre expressed an interest in creating a live stage version of the piece I was delighted to take on the challenge. I knew that with their inventive approach to dance, plus their extremely talented and athletic dancers, we could tap into the deep intimacy and tradition of tango but lace it with Pilobolus’ own brand of abstract, boundary-pushing ingenuity. So it was a chance to take two things that might never have met, and fuse them so they could make a beautiful baby together: Pilobolango.

Did you always know you were going to star in the original video and what was your first time in front of the camera like?

Being in front of the camera is easy for me—I have a long history as a dancer and performer. But it’s much harder when you are also directing at the same time. I much prefer to keep those two roles separate! I had trouble keeping my mind on the technical production details and seeing the forest for the trees when I really just wanted to get lost in the dance, which is what tango demands of a person. But this video required a dancer who really connected to the song, who understood the significance of the music and the streets, the intimacy and the subtlety…. While there are many fantastic dancers out there, I had trouble finding the right one, and eventually it just seemed easier to jump out there and do it myself. Luckily, my good friend Paula Salhany, who produced the video with me, was there to be another set of eyes and a source of support. I couldn’t have done it without her.

What can people expect from the new performance?

The new performance is exciting. In taking the piece to the stage we explored much bigger moves, much sharper contrasts, more exotic and extreme timing and shapes, and more drama. We wanted to retain the intimacy and connection, the calmness and the nuance of street tango. But to make it interesting and exciting for the people 80 rows back, we wanted to find new ways to interpret tango in a uniquely Pilobolean way—unexpected lines, everything pushed just a little further and driven a little bit harder. We also tried to find clever ways to work in the colours, clothing and textures without those things becoming distracting—the seamless journey through the rainbow is an important part of the concept, and we wanted to stay true to it. We had racks and racks of vintage and thrift store clothes and a very clever woman, Phoebe Katzin, stitching up some ingenious costumes for us on the spot as we rehearsed. It was pretty hilarious. While the audience won’t see it, the costume changes are a critical part of the choreography.

When you take on so many roles on a project, as you have been known to do, is there a danger of spreading yourself too thinly or does it make your vision and final outcome for the whole thing a lot stronger?

There’s definitely a danger of spreading oneself too thin, but it’s also possible to end up with a finished product that’s stronger for it. My favourite way to do things is to surround myself with people who have skills and talents that far exceed mine. I love to be around specialists who are brilliant at what they do. But sometimes no one else will commit to the time and effort required to bring your dream to life. Or they don’t have the same emotional connection to the material. Or they have such different sensibilities, that you’re continually fighting to get them to see what’s in your head. At those times, it’s a relief to do it yourself, whether it’s designing the wardrobe or choreographing or dancing or producing. But the director in me struggles when I find myself on the ‘wrong’ side of the lens and I can’t look through the camera and see everything that’s happening the way the camera sees it. So I don’t relish the idea of directing myself again any time soon.

What are you looking forward to about teaming up with Pilobolus again?

The best thing about working with Pilobolus is that they value experimentation and play, and they love to say yes and smash gleefully through boundaries. We get to try all kinds of things, investigate every possibility we can imagine - no stone is left unturned. And if we stay true to that idea, but then we’re also honest and brutal with ourselves when it comes time to edit and constrain the concept, we know we have created something that truly is unique to us… the best possible work we could come up with. That’s a great feeling.

How did preparations for the programme go?

The preparations are going well. While I’m no tango master, it was incredibly gratifying to pass on my love for the dance and share what I know of it with people who have such a vast physical vocabulary. It’s a tricky dance! Compared to most forms of dance, tango requires very different use of the body. The weight is placed differently… the posture, footwork, and deceptively relaxed tone of the muscles - all very unfamiliar (even counter-instinctive) to many trained dancers, not to mention a certain emotional vulnerability that the dance requires. So I related to the dancers’ frustration in the first few days. But to watch them grasp the spirit of the dance and then build on it to make it their own—that was inspiring. I’m proud!

What else are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently collaborating on some very exciting new technology that could potentially provide a whole new way of creating and experiencing video. I have to be dodgy and secretive about the specifics for now, but I’m really optimistic about the possibilities. At the same time, I’m continuing to shoot commercials and music videos, and I’ve fallen in love with a feature film script that I’d love to direct. So fingers crossed!

Performance schedule: Mon-Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm

Ticket prices: Start at $10

For more information and to book go to The Joyce Theatre.