A hip-hop dance-theatre production performed to the music of Sting seems an unlikely way to discuss the issue of refugees.
Yet Message In A Bottle is an artistic expression of the “spirit of revolution” and the shared experiences that refugees face across the world.
“It’s about family, it’s about love, and it’s about a young wedding,” creator and director Kate Prince told AAP.
“It’s a journey of human resilience.”
The award-winning producer was inspired by Syrian refugee Rania Mustafa Ali’s documentary filming her escape, which is reshaped through the first act of the performance.
Another major source of inspiration was drawn from the photograph of the three-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi’s body found on a beach on the Turkish coast in 2015.
“(We need to) understand, no one puts their child in a boat to cross open water because they want to do it for fun,” Prince said.
“They do it because they’ve got no choice.”
Using dance rather than words to send the message, Prince finds the dancers’ movements and interpretations of the music can evoke feelings that may be new or difficult for audiences to understand.
Preferring to keep away from the politics of social media, she instead uses her work as a personal message to the world given the current international climate and state of the Israel and Palestine crisis.
“My ideal naive mind wants us all to be pacifists,” Prince said.
“But if someone does something (terrible) to you, how easy is it to respond peacefully?”
Prince based the story around the classic hits by The Police’s Sting such as Desert Rose, Roxanne, and the titular Message In A Bottle, working the lyrics and voice into new contemporary arrangements with the support of musical supervisor Alex Lacamoire.
When the world-renowned artist first saw the stage production using his music, he found himself overwhelmed.
“What I really didn’t expect was to be so emotionally engaged in the story,” Sting said in statement.
“Kate’s imaginative story and beautiful choreography has brought my songs to new life.”
The performance will play from October 25-29 in the Joan Sutherland Theatre as part of the Opera House’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Message In A Bottle is Prince’s first production to premiere in Australia.
