Inklings
A new choreographic work by Loughlan Prior
The latest project commissioned from Ballet Unleashed embraces a new creation by award-winning choreographer and filmmaker Loughlan Prior. Developing as a signature amongst his diverse works, Prior’s creativity is matched by the intelligence of his approach to concept, musical interpretation and movement vocabulary.
Combining choreographic language with a cinematic sensibility, Prior’s new work Inklings is a short film which seeks to nurture the development of specialized solo creations. Resulting in positioning each dancer together in a virtually realized space, this work unifies emerging artists from locations all over the world.
Both playful and surreal, Inklings investigates the symmetry, intricacy and hidden meanings behind Rorschach’s Inkblot Tests in a collaboration with New Zealand composer, Claire Cowan and post-production company, POW Studios. The bold and ever-evolving visual landscape of the work explores aspects of artistic harmony, physical layering and interconnectedness, featuring deeper personal stories emerging from within amorphous forms, as ideas are brought to life.
“It all started with a drop of ink. From one small idea this special little film came to life; a reflection on the very nature and cultivation of creativity at play. Working closely with New Zealand composer, Claire Cowan to imagine the musical world and New Zealand post-production company, POW Studios to realize the animation that surround our characters, was a rich and rewarding process. The work behind Inklings began by nurturing the development of intimate solo and duet creations with dancers residing across the world - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. We discovered how exciting it was to create, rehearse and shoot an international dance film entirely over Zoom. I believe that creating dance for the camera stimulates live performance and engages with global audiences in a new and exciting way.” – Loughlan Prior
Watch the trailer
Awards and Recognition
Loughlan Prior
Director and Choreographer
Described by Dance Aotearoa New Zealand as ‘a creative tour de force’, Loughlan Prior is an award-winning choreographer and filmmaker. He is the Artistic Director of Lo | Co Arts, Creative Director of Prior-Visual, a project-based film / digital media collective, and Choreographer in Residence at the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
After graduating from the New Zealand School of Dance, Loughlan joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet and rose to the rank of Soloist, performing landmark works by Forsythe, Balanchine, Kylián, Cranko and Ekman. During this time, he became the first recipient of the Ballet Foundation of New Zealand’s Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award and received Creative New Zealand’s Tup Lang Award, which included presenting his work at the Assemblée Internationale in Toronto.
In 2019, Loughlan retired from the stage to pursue a full-time career in choreography and creative practices. His first full-length production, Hansel & Gretel, premiered to critical acclaim across New Zealand. In the same year, he created The Appearance of Colour for Queensland Ballet and delivered creative masterclasses to dance communities across New Zealand and Australia.
Prior’s cinematic and unifying approach to choreography, concept and visual storytelling is a key feature within his works. In 2021, Transfigured Night (Chamber Music New Zealand, BalletCollective Aotearoa, New Zealand String Quartet) captivated audiences with sublime beauty and his re-imagined production of The Firebird (Royal New Zealand Ballet) was described as one of the companies finest, most daring and honest works.
Prior’s dance films have enjoyed screenings at the New Zealand International Film Festival, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, BalletX Beyond, #60secondsdance Denmark, San Francisco Dance Film Festival and the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival.
Photo credit: Garth Badger
Claire Cowan
Composer
Claire Cowan is hailed as one of New Zealand’s most exciting composers with an impressive array of scoring and composition credits spanning concert, film, television and theatre. Seven prime-time TV soundtracks, multiple "Best Original Score" national awards, several Composer Residencies, and a full length ballet commissioned from the Royal New Zealand Ballet are just a few of the many accolades to her name.
Her passion for collaboration, and her versatility as an orchestrator, has led her to work with the cream of the crop in NZ's pop-music scene; names like Benee, Marlon Williams, Leisure, Tami Neilson and Dave Dobbyn are but a handful of the talents she has joined forces with, reinventing their songs with fully orchestrated versions for New Zealand's most prestigious orchestras.
As a performer, Cowan’s expertise lies in strings and keys, often incorporating percussive and folk techniques into her classical string scores. Her classical concert work is special in that it seamlessly merges art music and popular idioms in a way that is both natural and accessible. As a result, her music offers a very strong connection to audiences.
Notable recent projects include Ultra Violet and Hansel & Gretel for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, music for World of Wearable Arts, STARK Violin Concerto for Amalia Hall, and six short chamber commissions from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra to accompany iconic Kiwi storybooks. In 2019, Claire created Lo | Co Arts with choreographer Loughlan Prior, with whom she collaborates on a regular basis. She is also the Artistic Director of the Blackbird Ensemble, a diverse collection of musicians from mixed genre backgrounds, combining to perform radical and inventive new and reimagined works.
Photo credit: Striped Trees Photography
