Here is a group of odd creatures. They seem to have a purpose in mind...
Hullapolloi is a beautiful, disturbing stab into the political dynamics of a group.
The Hullapolloi test what is known, what is successful, what is normal.
They negotiate behavioural boundaries -- swarming, competitive surges, comforting rituals.
In 2011 Kate McIntosh and theatre director Jo Randerson were invited to create and co-direct a performance for Footnote Dance Company in Wellington, New Zealand.
“… captivating, groundbreaking and simply unmissable.” Amy Hughson, theatreview.org.nz.
This New Zealand dance/theatre collaboration transforms the Footnote dancers into a collection of bodies that move together, breathe together – shuffle, grunt and fall together. Collaborators Jo Randerson and Kate McIntosh take a stab at the beautiful and disturbing political dynamics of a group. What is known? What is successful? What is normal?
Performance-makers Jo Randerson and Kate McIntosh are both originally from Wellington - and alongside their individual cross-media artistic practices, they have already enjoyed several joint collaborations together on the international scene.
Hullapolloi is the first collaboration on New Zealand soil between these highly individual and dynamic artists - commissioned by Wellington's Footnote Dance Company.
Jo and Kate's previous collaborations have often been inspired by themes of radical physical and personal metamorphosis. These performances have been strongly visual - working with costumes, movement, scenography and soundscapes to create a world populated by unusual beings. The physical body is treated as an active site of transformation, where the performers can shape-shift into new and sometimes extreme identities. However Kate and Jo's work is not escapist - it is deeply human at its heart, and most interested in what pressures, moves and shapes people’s lives in the real world.
Many thanks to Deirdre Tarrant for initiating and developing this opportunity to collaborate.