Piaera Lauritz
Is it Working?
A dance performance exploring the age-old stereotype of artists needing ‘day’ jobs, with excerpts from Piaera’s dance film of the same name.
The performers in Is it Working? juggle multiple jobs outside of their professional dance careers. They’ve played the roles of: bartender, fitness instructor, barista, life model, shop assistant, dance teacher, massage therapist, waitress, theatre usher, lawyer, and receptionist. Is it Working? draws on the intricate patterns of movement perfected in these non-dance jobs to playfully highlight the pressures faced by practising artists.
Does work lie in productivity, repetition, effort, duty, or outcome? In performance, does a work exist before being presented, or only when consumed by viewers? Who owns the work – artistic or otherwise – and how do we validate, quantify, monetise, and label this work?
Is it Working? will take place in the iconic Nicholas Building. With its symbolic history as an industrial hub for a diverse range of creatives, and with the imminent threat of commercial development – this building serves as the perfect backdrop for Is it Working? to premiere in a live performance context.
Dates: 25–27 August 2023. Attend on Facebook
Purchase tickets here
Is it Working? is supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants.