Can we imagine or create a perfect place? If we can, what would it look like? What would we throw away? What would we keep?

Desert Island Dances is a darkly humorous and incisive performance that tackles notions of absence and presence. Inspired by the popular BBC Radio program, Desert Island Discs, the work incorporates dance and spoken word into a warm-hearted and often funny exploration into the things that make us who we are.

Wendy Houstoun, the show’s creator and performer, works with words and movements that have come from diverse situations and people: a dialogue in Düsseldorf, a wedding, another reality show; these become the memories and treasures that will get her through a spell on a desert island.

London-based Wendy Houstoun is a movement/theatre artist whose work combines movement with text and meaning with humour. Houstoun has worked extensively as a solo performer, most notably with her shows, Haunted and Flaunted and Happy Hour. She is well known for her collaborative work with companies and artists whose work challenges, enriches and extends the boundaries of dance and spoken word theatre, including DV8, Tim Etchells and Forced Entertainment, as well as filmmaker David Hinton.

Houstoun has won many awards including the 2003 Jerwood Choreography Award, and the 2004 Australian Dance Award for Choreography. Most recently she choreographed The Fondue Set’s
No Success Like Failure at Sydney Opera House in 2008.

Desert Island Dances has toured Europe, and US and was most recently at the 2008 Melbourne International Arts Festival.

Devised by Wendy Houstoun in collaboration with John Avery
Additional research by Rachel Krische, John Rowley
Performer Wendy Houstoun
Original Music by John Avery
Lighting Design Nigel Edward

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WHAT THE PRESS SAID

“Tripping the light fantastic down memory lane.” - The List

“Desert Island Dances is a little gem with an effect far beyond its means.” - The Australian

"Desert Island Dance, like her other work, is direct, honest, and sometimes funny." - Wendy Houston, Arts Hub

"Mysteriously funny and insightful" - Sydney Star Observer

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COMMENTS

Kitballou 17/01/09

Loved it!! Wendy H has come up trumps AGAIN!! Venue is unforgiveably noisy which I found really annoying. Cute, but annoying for the performer I am sure too. Go see.

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