Hold Me Closer Tony Danza
The starting point was a misunderstood Elton John lyric played to great comedic effect. This tension between “rightness” or “wrongness” framed a deeper, pop-cultural exploration of differences in opinion through club dancing and seamless partnering. - Limelight magazine
Get ready for a dance-off…
Hold Me Closer Tony Danza is bold, brash, non-conforming, and like a pop song you can’t get out of your head, deeply seductive. It is immersive dance-theatre that asks the audience to pick a side, show their true colours, and get ready for a dance-off as if their lives depend on it.
Rollickingly funny and deeply skilled dance technicians The Farm perform this one-hour ride, a Victorian premiere, commissioned by Monash University.
With an intensely satirical edge, Hold Me Closer Tony Danza confronts our modern world through the subversion of pop sensibilities. In a world driven by information overload, it asks how we can still connect with each other when we feel so far apart. A commonly misheard song lyric contains a deeper proposition about how we form meaning and a provocation that perhaps our understanding of the world is intrinsically flawed.
At The Farm work is made in a collaborative process where everyone brings their expertise without being confined to it. All animals are equal.
Created by: Kate Harman, Michael Smith, Gavin Webber and Anna Whitaker
Direction: Gavin Webber
Lighting Design: Govin Ruben
Composer and Sound Designer: Anna Whitaker
Visual Design: Merinda Davies
Commissioned by Monash University, Carriageworks, Dancehouse and the Keir Foundation for the 2020 Keir Choreographic Award.
Feedback/Comments
loved the audience participation
Held in a space perfectly sized for this performance. The dancers perform around and within the standing, mobile audience. This piece bravely seeks and requires sizeable (unforced) audience participation which was tactfully drawn out but was freely forthcoming at the performance attended. The excellent sound and lighting provided evocative enhancement using recorded pieces through to pounding electronica.
The dance duo were required to sing, act and dance their way through an hour of humorous, sobering and energetic performance. A test of energy and stamina to be admired. This bold and risky show was as much an experience as a performance, recommended for those prepared to step out of their comfort zone.
brilliant, will head back on friday to see it again
Was an interesting immersive experience. The 2 two dancers were amazing.