Conveying consent with performance piece

A BALLARAT-raised theatrical dance director’s latest work is exploring the shifting boundaries of intimacy.

Movement-based theatre company Force Majeure’s artistic director Danielle Micich is helming the organisation’s latest production idk, which is being performed in Melbourne until Saturday.

Micich said the 70-minute work is about raising awareness on the intricacies behind consent.

“I want people to find a way to connect and speak about consent,” she said. “People say they know about it but there are some things they don’t.

“When you present something in a non-literal, image-based way, it gives you reason to think about the images that are created and start asking questions and starting that inter-dialogue.

“It’s the perfect way to start finding ways to start that dialogue around consent.”

Serving as the production’s director, Micich said the work has been in development for about two years and is inspired by her roughly-three decades as an intimacy coordinator for film, television, and the stage.

Growing up in Alfredton, Micich studied at Versatility Dance College, then known as the Anita Coutts School of Dancing, before moving onto the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne.

idk’s three-person cast includes Gabriel Comerford, Adriane Daff, and Merlynn Tong.

Micich said a smaller group of performers makes the underlying themes of the show more impactful.

“I wanted to make it a huge rigour so people will go this is so intense and full-on,” she said.

“It’s three people carrying as much content so you can feel the enormity of the narrative. I’ve gone very intimate and personal while also wanting people to feel the epicness of it.

“I want this to be a cross between theatre and dance, very visual and visceral.”

idk is being performed at Melbourne’s Arts House until Saturday.