Meryl Tankard took over the role of artistic director of the Canberra based Human Veins Dance Theatre in 1989. Tankard changed the name to Meryl Tankard Company. Tankard left Canberra in late 1992.
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The Meryl Tankard Company was formed
in 1989 as a vehicle for the choreography
of its artistic director, Meryl Tankard.
It was, however, a development of the
contemporary dance company that had existed
in Canberra since 1980 and that was originally
directed by Don Asker as Human Veins
Dance Theatre. Tankard worked in Canberra
between 1989 and 1992 presenting eight
new works,
VX18504 (1989),
Banshee (1989),
Nuti (1990),
Kikimora (1990),
Court of Flora (1990),
Chants de mariage I (1991),
Chants de mariage II (1992)
and
Songs with Mara (1992).
In addition, two earlier pieces were
revived in Canberra,
Two Feet staged in Canberra
in 1989 but first performed in Brisbane
in 1988 and
Echo Point staged in Canberra
in 1989 but first performed in Sydney
in 1984;
Pile Up was commissioned
from Graeme Watson and presented on the
same program as
Kikimora in 1990; and Tankard
collaborated with Canberra-based theatre
director Pierre Bokor on
Circo in 1991.
A defining feature of Tankard's work
in Canberra for the Meryl Tankard Company
was the collaboration between Tankard
and her associate artist, photographer
and visual artist Regis Lansac. Tankard's
work for her Meryl Tankard Company explored
the relationship between movement and
imagery with Lansac's slide projections
providing a visual counterpart to the
choreography. This was especially apparent
in works such as
Banshee and
Nuti, both made in conjunction
with exhibitions staged by the National
Gallery of Australia, but the collaboration
continued to develop throughout the life
of the Meryl Tankard Company and continues
to the present day. In Canberra the company
performed in a variety of spaces, including
Commonwealth Gardens during the 1990
Floriade festival when Tankard staged
her outdoor piece
Court of Flora. From Canberra
the company toured to various venues
in Australia and to Japan, China, Indonesia
and Italy
Tankard left Canberra in 1992 to take
up the directorship of the Adelaide-based
Australian Dance Theatre, later renamed
Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre.
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