iServi News | 20 January 2024 | Term 1, Week 4
On Thursday 15 February, students from Year 10 Dance and Year 11 Dance ATAR attended the school matinee performance of ‘Jungle Book reimagined’, by international dance company ‘Akram Khan Company’ as part of Perth Festival at the Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA.
“Dance, theatre, music and visually stunning animation come together to tell a new version of the classic Jungle Book story. In a near future world, a family is torn apart as they escape their homeland that has been ravaged by the impact of climate change. Arriving along in a deserted modern city, and with wild animals claiming the streets as their own, Mowgli soon discovers unlikely allies in this strange new jungle. See the stage transformed into a magical world, but this is no Disney adaption. Choreographer Akram Khan and his team of co-creators tell the story of how this child can help us to listen to the voices of the natural world that we, the modern world, try to silence. Jungle Book reimagined speaks to all generations as a step to remind, to relearn, to reimagine a new world together.”
Students were fortunate to attend a pre-show Q&A with cast member/dancer Jan Mikaela (Mika) Villanueva who plays the main character ‘Mowgli’ where she discussed the costuming and staging, creative and choreographic process, and even had some advice to offer for anyone interested in a career in The Arts. Mika said one important thing is to have “Determination; your dreams are powerful and don’t let anyone take your goal away from your mind”. She advised the high school students in the room from schools all around WA to “listen to yourself and the people who inspire you, keep moving forward and learn from challenges so you can grow”.
The performance was very captivating and powerful, and many students said they had never seen anything like it before. Students in Dance classes at Servite continue to be exposed to many different dance styles and genres, including cotemporary dance. The students greatly benefitted from being able to view this performance, especially by having the chance to experience a live dance piece in the contemporary dance genre. Students were also able to gain an understanding of the components of production and understanding dance as entertainment especially in Australia.
