Back in 2014 I had the privilege of being engaged by KAGE (1997 – 2017) to make a ‘Behind the scenes’ video and teaser promo for their show Team Of Life during the rehearsal period leading up to the shows Melbourne Festival debut.
Team of Life was based on the story of David Nyuol Vincent (Author of The Boy Who Wouldn’t Die). David was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, trained as a child soldier and spent 17 years in refugee camps before making his way to Australia.
Team of Life the show was born out of The Team of Life collective narrative therapy methodology and workshops developed by David Denborough (Dulwich Centre Foundation), KAGE‘s Artistic Director Kate Denborough‘s brother. Which was initially developed in response to the experiences of former child soldiers in Uganda and uses narrative ideas and sporting metaphors to enable young people to deal with traumatic experiences without actually having to speak directly about them.
[Here is a link to video about a Team of Life Workshop run by Kate & David (and cast members) at St Johns College in 2013 – Watch Video]
Unfortunately, as of last year KAGE no longer runs as a company, therefore, it is unlikely that you’ll get a chance to see this important cross-cultural piece of physical theatre so I hope you enjoy the videos. It’s inspiring to see projects like this creating significant, positive, social change through sharing stories and connecting community.
I aim to do a more in-depth article/interview on here with Kate and her creative partner in KAGE, Gerard Van Dyck about the company and the amazing body of work they produced – Until then, a huge congratulations to them both on sustaining a small company and producing incredible work over the last 2o years.
Peace & respect,
Hamish
* Make sure you check out the last video – Uncle Kutcha Edwards singing an alternative Australian National Anthem!
Behind The Scenes Video –
The short Rehearsal teaser promo –
Show Promo –
Kutcha Edwards performs an awesome alternative Australian Anthem in Team of Life.
Team of Life
Creative Team
Conceived and directed by Kate Denborough
Conceived and written by David Denborough
Lighting Design by Damien Cooper
Set and Costume Design by Marg Howell
Composed by Kelly Ryall and Kutcha Edwards
Cast
Heath Bergersen, Leila Gurruwiwi, Kutcha Edwards, David Nyuol Vincent, Ezeldin Deng, Pier Akec, Nyuol Bol, Kiki Kuol, Gabrielle Nankivell, Margot John, Timothy Ohl
KAGE – Rethinking Dance
KAGE existed to explore and extend the form of dance; collaborating across cultures and disciplines to create works of skill, beauty and irreverence that are rich in ideas and resonate deeply with diverse audiences. KAGE created highly original contemporary dance from 1997 – 2017 and produced work from the perspective that dance should play an inspiring, joyful and significant role in modern day life.
Find out More about KAGE –
Website
Find out more about Kate Denborough – www.katedenborough.com.au
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– Creating Culture through Connecting Community –
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