Dance performance takes on expectations of disability, demanding the right to take risks
Three dancers perform in Guttered, a dance work inside a bowling alley. (Supplied: Roy Vandervegt)
It started with a group outing to a bowling alley.
Michelle Ryan, artistic director of Restless Dance Theatre, took a group of people with disability bowling and immediately the staff at the bowling alley began installing gutter bumpers, the inflatable barriers that make it easier for a ball to hit the pins.
The experience inspired her dance theatre production, Guttered, which is being performed this week as part of the Joondalup Festival, inside a real bowling alley.
"I worked in disability services for a while and there's a turn of phrase that's used, which is 'the dignity of risk'," Ryan said.
"You need to allow people to fail to actually grow. And when you go bowling, a lot of people always put up the gutter guards so that people can't fail, and so I thought it was a really nice place to put a show in a bowling alley."
Artistic director Michelle Ryan and performer Michael Hodyl from Restless Dance Theatre. (ABC News: Emma Wynne)
Adelaide-based Restless Dance Theatre has been running for 35 years and champions company members with disability and neurodiversity.
"You'd be surprised that our dancers, whilst there's no gutter guards, they can get strikes. That surprises people, and I love that,"she said.
The bowling alleys they have approached have been unexpectedly supportive of the dance company turning their lanes into a theatre.
Michael Hodyl performs in Guttered. (Supplied: Shane Reid)
"At first the bowling alleys are always a little bit surprised at the idea, but they've all been so fantastic," Ryan said.
"The bowling alley here in Joondalup has been extraordinary and they believe in the work."
Creating 'movement phrases' to tell a story
But how does the Restless team express these ideas in dance?
"It's a good question," company member Marcus Louend said.
"We're in a bowling alley so there's lots of stimulation to work with. Obviously there's the act of bowling itself.
"We also work a lot with a task that is different — ways to throw and catch popcorn.
"There's competitive team handshakes."
Michelle Ryan leads a free dance workshop at Currambine Community Centre. (Supplied: Aaron Claringbold)
A big part of what Restless does, in both its performance and public dance workshops is reinforce the idea the movement is for everyone.
That can include taking a simple movement, and challenging themselves to find six different ways to do it.
"In this example it might be: what are six ways you can throw and catch popcorn?" Louend said.
"By the third or fourth example you kind of have to think a bit outside the box, and then you have six, you put them all together and then you have a movement phrase."
They said to add to the experience, real popcorn is used in the performance and the audience gets to eat the popcorn as well.
"Not the popcorn that's been on the ground, but there will be popcorn for all."
'Anyone can do what we do'
In addition to its performances, Restless has also hosted a series of free, open workshops for people with disability and neurodiversity to come and dance.
"They are extremely popular," Louend said.
"It gives the general public a chance to participate in something artistic, showing that anyone can really do what we do and let their creative liberties flow and express themselves, move their bodies in any capacity."
Restless Dance Theatre company member Marcus Louend. (ABC News: Emma Wynne)
Although the company has been around for 35 years, this is its first visit to Perth.
"We love connecting with community when we come away from Adelaide, and I think it's really important to showcase diversity in all its forms," Louend said.
"By having these workshops, we hope that people will realise what people can do and not always focus on what they can't."