A cross between a night out clubbing, a party and a dance performance, Dirty Dingo promises to be an immersive experience for punters, says the show’s director and choreographer Isabella Boladeros.

In her Festival Sessions interview, she explains to Nina Levy why she thinks this show is needed at this particular moment in time.

Nina Levy: Welcome to the Festival Sessions Isabella. For Seesaw Mag readers who don’t know you, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work?

Isabella Boladeras: I am a Perth-based director, choreographer, and dancer, aiming to provide a safe space for young artists in the industry to showcase their work, and feel confident and unapologetically sexy in their art forms.

My work consists of co-directing Unknown Creative Arts alongside my sister Angelina, and teaching heels classes throughout Perth, with the overall aim of creating a strong, hard-working environment that is also inclusive and encouraging for beginners through to professional dancers.

NL: Tell us about Dirty Dingo, the work you are presenting at Fringe World 2022.

IB: Dirty Dingo came about as a result of me and my choreographers wanting to recreate a “club/bar” vibe for our performance. The last couple of years haven’t been easy for anyone so we wanted to create an environment where people could let go of their worries and dance the night away, no matter what their age.

Coyote Ugly was a movie I used to watch as a kid and dream of being one of those ladies up their entertaining everyone in the crowd. So we decided to bring home-grown talent, choreography and performance to a well-known show and turn it into an immersive experience – watching some amazing dancers do what they do best but also feeling like you could get up and do it too.

The show will consist favourite Aussie hits, alongside drink specials featuring Dingo Beer. With an MC guiding the audience through the immersive experience – from dance-offs to sing-alongs to drinking games – no two nights will be the same and the audience will be carried to a completely different world.

NL: What inspired you to make this work?

IB: Sometimes I think the barrier or fourth wall between the actor/dancer and audience is too stagnant and dance is something everyone enjoys, just on different levels.

I have recently shifted my focus from teaching trained dancers how to improve, to teaching beginners or ex-dancers who lost sight of the passion for dance and want to get back into it. I’m opening the space to everyone to enjoy dance for what it is, instead of these negative connotations, stereotypes and what can sometimes be debilitating fear of looking silly.

So I want this show to feel like a massive party. I want any aspiring dancers in the crowd to see us perform some incredible choreography while also making the rest of the audience feel like they too can come up on the stage and boogie with us.

NL: What makes Dirty Dingo different to all the other shows on offer at Fringe?

IB: Dirty Dingo allows everyone involved to celebrate themselves and each other in a judgement-free space.

Like all shows, Dirty Dingo is for the audience. However unlike other shows, this show won’t be the same without the audience and their energy in the space. We have devised the choreography and direction so that every individual feels as though they have contributed is some way to the night.

Finally, as the songs used within the show are from the late 90s/early 2000s, everyone who is 18+ should feel like they can connect to the show on some level.

NL: What do you hope audiences will take away from Dirty Dingo?

IB: During COVID and coming out of it now, I am really trying to promote the message of enjoying life and not taking it too seriously. So alongside taking away some amazing dance moves, I’d love for the audience to realise that, as corny as it sounds, it’s the little moments that make our life amazing. Holding onto those moments, cherishing dancing with your friends or making them get up on stage, and not taking all the stressful situations in life too seriously is more important than anything else in this world.

NL: What’s next for you after Fringe World 2022?

IB: I am currently setting up a creative space to hopefully host a range of artists not just dancers. It won’t be linked to any companies or dance studios just an all-encompassing space for people to learn, grow, develop and create some insane memories.

Dirty Dingo plays The Sewing Room as part of Fringe World, 14-29 January 2022.

Pictured top: The cast of ‘Dirty Dingo’ are ready to dance. Photo: supplied

“The Festival Sessions” is an annual series of Q&A interviews with artists whose work will be appearing in Perth’s summer festivals.
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