Prince’s Square will be transformed into an outdoor immersive dance environment throughout Junction Arts Festival.
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Tasdance presents Relax The Chimp, an interactive experience which projects movement onto a stadium-sized screen in avatar form.
Tasdance artistic director and the creative driver behind Relax The Chimp, Felicity Bott, said they wanted to see everyone in Launceston at Prince’s Square, moving, playing and experimenting with dance.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t think there is a rhythmic bone in your body – you will definitely still have fun.”
The unique technology at the core of the project has been developed in partnership between Tasdance and the University of Tasmania, Tasmanian College of the Arts during an eight week Tasdance residency which commenced in late July.
The application is designed to pick up cues from body movements and project them onto a big screen.
“Relax The Chimp is really about the people who come to dance in front of the sensors,” Ms Bott said.
“We have found that once people realise that their movements are creating large scale images on the screen, they really start to have fun with it.
“Dancing becomes easy and exciting even for people who wouldn’t call themselves dancers.
“When you add a favourite music track into the mix, the stage is completely set for the humans to relax, let go and dance together.”
Relax The Chimp is a free event, running from September 8 to 10.
The addition of Adelaide Fringe Festival’s former creative director Greg Clarke as Junction’s creative director has sparked some exciting new changes in the festival.
“Junction is a festival like no other, where artists, the community and audiences come together in really exciting new ways,” he said.
“This year we have commissioned a number of works that have been created through direct engagement with members of the Launceston community.”
Prince’s Square will be the hub for Junction 2016.
An array free events, like Relax The Chimp, will be based at the square making them easily accessible to the community.
Festival favourites such as The Tweed Run, Grapes & Grooves, Senior Idol and the renamed Dr Pugh’s Speakeasy in the art deco Gospel Hall will return to the event.
Residents from the Cosgrove Cottages star in, VILLAGE, one of the works being showcased at Junction.
Opening night will launch with the Lime Light Party from 7pm to 10pm at the Square.
For more information or to view the full program visit www.junctionartsfestival.com.au/.
