Anything is Valid Dance Theatre
Words by Joseph Simons

Ever wondered what it feels like to walk down the main street and just bust out some moves? Serena Chalker and Quindell Orton do. And they loved it so much, it’s now part of their jobs!

Serena and Quindell are the core partnership behind Anything is Valid Dance Theatre. AIVDT is a new contemporary dance company in Perth, but the idea began as a simple experiment.

“In 2006, I was a first-year dance student at WAAPA” Serena Chalker explains. “A group of us thought it would be fun to do some contemporary improvisation in the main street of Perth. So we just rocked up one Sunday and did it.”

It worked better than they expected, and has been gaining momentum ever since. AIVDT continues to bring contemporary dance out of the theatres and into the street, performing in public places all over the city. They also dance at arts festivals around Western Australia, and were even asked to dance in the music video for Empire of the Sun’s new song.

Always improvised (and never predictable!) AIVDT love the reactions they get from passers-by.

“Huge crowds will often stop to watch us. Some people think we’re just crazy, but others really love it. It’s exciting because there’s no barrier between the dancers and the audience – some people even join in!”

Even though the movement is improvised, a lot of planning goes into each performance.

“There are a lot of things to consider. We have to think about the location, the audience, the space, the number of people. We’ll then develop ideas in rehearsal.”

Read more on their website www.aivdt.com
You can find AIVDT on facebook, myspace and youtube.