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Robyn Orlin

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Controversial and provocative choreographer, Robyn Orlin has continuously pushed the boundaries of performance art and dance in the 20 years that she has been creating work.

Although once marginalized by the conservative dance community in South Africa, Orlin’s City Theatre and Dance Group currently receives funding from theNational Arts Council. This funding facilitates the practical and artistic development of young dancers, giving them ongoing workshops to develop and enhance their performance skills, as well as providing them with new opportunities to market their work.

Orlin has worked in diverse media including television, film, theatre, dance and opera as a choreographer, producer, dancer and teacher. Her work has been recognized in South Africa and abroad through various awards, bursaries and scholarships.

Robyn Orlin works in a rather eclectic way. She works from project to project and invariably tries to find ways of including the community and her audiences into her work. Her point of departure when making a new work is the immediate environment, which acts as a springboard to open up issues around culture, history and identity. The audience will often be found on the stage during a performance and the performers loitering with the audience – she would like everybody to dance and dancers to be able to be everybody!

Robyn now finds herself living part of the year in Berlin (where her husband, Oliver Schmitz, is making films) and Johannesburg or on the road touring with her work. However, she spends her whole year yearning for her hometown Johannesburg, which is the source of her inspiration and creative drive.

Date Title Venue City
18–20 October 2013 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... Stratford Circus London
8–20 December 2012 Babysitting series #5 Musée des Beaux arts Lille
29–30 October 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... Le Grand T Nantes
25–27 October 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... Maison des arts de Créteil Créteil
21 October 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... La Ferme du Buisson Noisiel
18–19 October 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... Le Volcan Le Havre
16 October 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... Le Phénix Valencienne
11–12 October 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... Maison de la musique Nanterre
6 October 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... La Halle aux Grains Blois
3 October 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... Théâtre d'Orléans Orléans
30 September 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... L'Espal Le Mans
27 September 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... Théâtre de Privas Privas
23–25 September 2012 Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position... Le Transbordeur Lyon
Photo: Olivier Pascaud

www.robynorlin.com

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