Q&A with Luke Cooper, Stella Clarkson & 'Isope 'Akau'ola

Rehearsals are underway for Home, Land and Sea, a powerful new collaboration between The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) and the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB), choreographed by Moss Te Ururangi Patterson. Featuring six dancers from each company and an evocative original score by Shayne P Carter, Home, Land and Sea explores Aotearoa’s past and present through movement and music in this ground-breaking new work.

We caught up with three of the dancers involved in the production: RNZB Artist Luke Cooper, NZDC Artist ‘Isope ‘Akau’ola, and Stella Clarkson, a third-year student at the New Zealand School of Dance currently on secondment with NZDC. We asked them about their experience in the rehearsal room so far, what excites them most about the collaboration, and what Home, Land and Sea means to them.

NZDC Artist ‘Isope ‘Akau’ola. Photo credit: John McDermott

‘Isope ‘Akau’ola – Artist New Zealand Dance Company

What themes can we expect to see from this work? What’s the rehearsal process been like?

Home, Land & Sea has a lot of heart and history in it. Moss always leads the rehearsal room with such generosity, and I feel that creates a space where we as dancers are wanting to reciprocate, so we are pouring a lot of emotional, personal and quite nostalgic ideas into the movement. He has also been playing with how we can recontextualise traditional movement and themes within present day, so it has been awesome to work with haka elements and mau rākau.

What drew you into dance and what has made you stay?

I always knew that I wanted to be a performer of some kind, because I grew up singing and had a huge love for theatre, but I believe what made me connect more with dance was the holistic effect it had on me. I felt like I was the fullest version of myself because my physical, spiritual and emotional states were all being nurtured as well as the community that fosters when dancing with others. I feel like every time I dance I become a better version of myself.

Top down: NZDC Artists Stella Clarkson (in partnership with NZSD), ‘Isope ‘Akau’ola and Caterina Moreno.
Photo credit: John McDermott. Taken during initial development period of Home, Land & Sea, in NZDC studios.

What do you think RNZB will learn from working with NZDC and vice versa?

I truly believe that both styles can inform one another and make each other stronger. I know I have a strong sense of grounding and connection with the floor, but I am really excited to learn to maybe jump more and find more extension and length in my body. Contemporary dance is an ever-changing form, so I am excited to perhaps see the ballet dancers try something new or different.

What is your relationship with ballet?

I remember one of my first ever experiences of dance in the theatre was RNZB’s Swan Lake at The Civic. I went for a school trip and I was just amazed at the physicality and the grandeur of it all! I have a huge appreciation for the form but throughout my dance training at Unitec, where I began ballet classes, I really struggled to grasp onto the technique, but every day I learn to love it more despite my treacherous relationship with it!

Stella Clarkson – Artist New Zealand Dance Company in partnership with the New Zealand School of Dance

As a trained dancer in both ballet and contemporary dance, what drew you to pursue a career in contemporary?

Growing up as a taller dancer, I have found contemporary offers more space for individuality and celebrates fluctuations in style, allowing me to feel more confident as a mover. I do still appreciate how much of contemporary remains supported by the foundations of classical ballet, but I get excited by the way contemporary encourages persistent commentary on the ever-changing world around us, bridging the space between past and present societal concerns.

What are you most excited about performing this work?

I feel so privileged to be a part of such a special collaboration between two of the country’s leading dance companies and can’t wait to see how the harmonisation of ballet and contemporary is manifested throughout the process. I hope this fusion catalyses a discourse of sharing between dance artists in Aotearoa, and it excites me to be a part of the initial stages of this collaboration.

Artist Stella Clarkson (NZDC in partnership with NZSD) with NZDC members. Photo credit: John McDermott
Taken during initial development period of Home, Land & Sea, in NZDC studios.

How does it feel seeing yourself on the poster around Wellington?

Seeing the images slowly pop-up reminds me of the day of the shoot watching the sunrise over the Fort Dorset/ Te Turanga o Kupe headland… Despite the freezing wind I remember just being overwhelmed with gratitude for our beautiful whenua and the incredible doors dance has opened for me throughout my life. It was also the first day I met RNZB company artists Josh Guillemot-Rodgerson and Luke Cooper, so seeing the images with them reminds me of the openness I experienced with the RNZB team, reigniting my excitement to get back into the studio with them!

How has it been working with NZDC?

I was fortunate to spend about a month in Auckland earlier this year working with Moss and the company on the initial stages of Home Land and Sea, and although I still feel quite new to the NZDC team, they are such a special community of artists. Each of the dancers bring a beautifully unique story and lineage which permeates both their quality of movement and themselves as people, creating a harmonisation of energy and a hunger for hard-work I feel so privileged to be even a small part of.

Artists Luke Cooper (RNZB) & Stella Clarkson (NZDC in partnership with NZSD), shot on location at Oruaiti Reserve, Seatoun. Photo credit: Ross Brown

Luke Cooper – Artist Royal New Zealand Ballet

What’s most exciting about getting to collaborate with another company?

It’s always incredible to share a studio with a new team as the energy shifts. You don’t realise how comfortable you are and its always great inspiration and a push to try new things! I think getting to explore contemporary movement pathways alongside NZDC is going to be a lot of fun.

What do you think NZDC will learn for RNZB and vice versa?

I think NZDC getting to join teams with RNZB allows them to experience touring and performing at the scale RNZB does. We have six times more dancers than them and with that comes a structure and a machine-like rhythm that we function at on a daily basis. The comfort contemporary companies have in exploration and ‘play’ is something that I think RNZB is going to benefit hugely from. Ballet has the feeling of ‘right or wrong’ whereas contemporary allows the space in the middle to just try and see!

Artists Luke Cooper (RNZB) & Stella Clarkson (NZDC in partnership with NZSD), shot on location at Oruaiti Reserve, Seatoun. Photo credit: Ross Brown

What is the audience going to experience in this work?

This work, like all Moss’s work, will be uniquely Kiwi with a strong Māori essence at its core. We are joining forces with Shayne Carter again and his vast knowledge of music has led to a really special soundscape for us to perform with. I think the music is going to really assist with the themes of this work, ‘Where do you call home? What whenua can you call your own?’

Having worked with Moss on his previous two works for RNZB, how is it to come back into the studio with him?

Moss brings with him a sense of calm and warmth that is so nice to have in the studio. I think this process will differ slightly as there’s going to be a lot of content sharing between the two companies, learning what NZDC has already workshopped and developed for this work and making it fit onto ballet dancers and vice versa.