Kelley Abbey together with International Choreographer Brian Friedman and some of Australia’s leading choreographers and creatives will be helping dancers through their paces during the LIGHT THE WAY DANCE CONVENTION at Sydney Coliseum, West HQ that will take place over three days and nights from 17 to 19 June 2022. Sydney Arts Guide did a brief Q and A with her.:
Q. I read an interview you gave in March 2019 with Krisinda Merhl from Smooth FM in March 2019. This is what you said, “The music and the ability to transport yourself physically- it’s like a silent soul conversation that you are having. When I dance I feel invincible. I feel like I have the power of ten men. I feel like I could lift a building in my own arms. I feel superhuman.” Do you still feel like this about dance? Does it still feel that magical
A. Yes, dance still feels magical to me. I’m still in love with the incredible feeling you have being transported by music. The mysterious power Dance has to move you.
Q. In the same interview you said, “I started dancing when I was three. I remember my mum taking me to dancing and most kids would hang on to the teacher’s leg and cry and wait for their mum to pick them up. I think I cried when my mother came to pick me up because I didn’t want to leave,” she remembers. What do you tell kids who, like you, are bitten by the dancing bug? Do you tell them to follow their dream? What do you tell the parents? Remember what Noel Coward wrote, ‘Don’t put your daughters on the stage/The profession is overcrowded and the struggle’s pretty tough.’
A. I would never tell anyone not to follow their bliss. Yes, there’s challenging things about our industry but there’s challenging things about every industry. I would always encourage and support a persons path to creativity if that’s their choice. Some people that train in dance also turn out to be incredible dance teachers, choreographers, directors, costume designers., physio’s. etc. You never know the journey ahead and how it will expand and flourish. Ultimately I encourage people to follow their heart.
Q. For the readers can you tell readers what do choreographers exactly do. I think that most people know that one of the main things a theatre director does, early in rehearsals, is blocking. That this is where the director tells the actors were they are to be positioned at the various points of a performance. In a musical is this what a choreographer and director work on together? What else does a choreographer do?
A. In a musical, a choreographer creates the movement for the production. That includes everything from small, intimate, moving ,acting scenes, all the way to big show stopping dance numbers. A choreographer develops the physical language of the play. They help the actors with their character movement. They work out how to narrate the story via movement and create dynamics that bring an audience to an applause. The director and choreographer spend time together in pre production where the director guides the choreographer on what they want to achieve in the story telling through the movement.
Q. You have been involved in numerous musicals over your long career with some performances collecting awards. Do you have an absolute favourite musical? Or a few of them that top the list? And is there a performance that you gave which is your own personal favourite?
A. I have had the good fortune of being in many shows. One of my favourite musicals of all time is Westside Story. I was lucky enough to be in the Victorian State Opera’s version in 1994. Westside Story is a piece of Musical Theatre brilliance that has the greatest score of all time. My most favourite performance was when I played ‘Charity Hope Valentine’ in Sweet Charity in 1997. It remains the hardest and most satisfying role I’ve ever played. I hardly left the stage in the play. I had to train like an Olympic athlete to get through it. I had an oxygen tank side stage in case I needed it. A massive singing, dancing, acting role. I won three awards for the show. It is one of my most fondest memories.
Q. Over the years you have mentored many dancers. What is it like being a judge? I guess that you will be doing some judging/assessing during the dance convention? How do you tell when someone has a special gift? Has that special X factor? What are the aspects you are looking for in a dancer?
A. I love mentoring young dancers. Yes, I will get to see a lot of talent at the ‘Light the Way’ convention in June. I am always looking for dancers who have great energy, control and attack. Dancers who can pay attention to detail. Who can embody the movement with immediate emotional connection and pick up choreography quickly. Then there’s that indescribable ‘thing’ that ‘X factor.’ Someone you can’t take your eye away from. A combination of strong technique and emotional connection who understands the dance language and has stage presence.
Q. Where to from here Kelley? Will you continue along the same trajectory of mentoring dancers and working as a choreographer? Would you consider acting projects whether it be on television or stage or screen? Are you still putting yourself out there for roles or do you now prefer to work ‘behind the scenes’?.
A. I am very fond of writing, directing, choreographing, and painting. I love my role of being the creative director for the last four seasons of Dancing With The Stars, as it allows me to create on many levels having the artistic eye over the whole show. If the right acting role came along of course I would love to do it. I would also love to write, direct and choreograph my own work. There are loads of things I want to do and am passionate about. I like expanding my skills and flexing new creative muscles. I am also very passionate about the mental and emotional health of performers and love mentoring them in how to navigate the industry.
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