The COVD-19 pandemic gave many of us plenty of time – maybe too much of it – to think about who we were and how we fit into the world around us.
Dancer, teacher and choreographer Sarah Aiken’s new dance-theatre work Make Your Life Count taps into those questions, highlighting both the inflated importance of the individual in our society’s collective consciousness and the powerlessness and insignificance many feel deep inside.
“I guess it came from my existential questions about what it is to be an individual in the world,” Aiken said.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the individualistic culture we live in, this imperative to ‘make the most of your life’ and ‘be the best version of yourself’; excel, reach out, do more, be more.
“And then, the consequences of that, the disconnection that always thinking about oneself creates with the world around us and on a global scale. We have this feeling like we want to do something good in the world but at the same time that we’re so powerless.
“When I started making the work, I was looking for a way to enjoy my own insignificance; if I don’t matter, how can I be okay with that, how can that be a positive thing?”
Aiken said while the subject matter might be weighty, the work aims to be relatable to everyone.
“Sometimes dance can be really alienating for people, which is why I work with tools like text, image and video; they give people entry points,” she said.
“I think it became more relevant through the pandemic because we all had this… really experience of isolation and collectivity.
“It’s an emotional work, a lot of people have told me that they cried when they saw it. But I also want them to laugh, because it’s all very absurd.”
Make Your Life Count is at Platform Arts Thursday, August 10 and Friday, August 11. Visit platformarts.org.au/events/make-your-life-count for tickets and more information.
