Kally Lloyd-Jones on Company Chordelia: 'I want to be learning and doing interesting stuff until I drop'
Revel, the latest show from Company Chordelia, baulks at the idea that older dancers should just hang up their shoes and shuffle off the stage. Artistic director Kally Lloyd-Jones chats to Kelly Apter about learning not to care what others think and fighting for more visibility for performers of a certain age
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A ‘coming of age’ story usually captures that pivotal moment between adolescence and adulthood. But with tongues firmly in cheeks, that’s exactly how choreographers Kally Lloyd-Jones and Steinvör Palsson are describing Company Chordelia’s new show, Revel. Their teenage years far behind them, the transition they’re focusing on instead is when you slide from your 50s into your 60s.
‘As I was approaching 60, I felt really frightened of it,’ says Lloyd-Jones. ‘I thought I would somehow seem lesser in people’s eyes or that they might stop offering me work. Then when I actually turned 60, the fear subsided and great things started to happen. But that fear exists because it is, to some degree, real. I think we’re expected to just gracefully exit and disappear, but many of us still need to earn money and have something to say.’
Set to an eclectic soundtrack featuring everything from Barry Manilow and Saint-Saens to Ry Cooder and Shostakovich, Revel is a celebration of resilience, ageing and, of course, dancing. Co-created by these two stalwarts of the Scottish contemporary dance scene, the piece moves between a theatre dressing room (where Lloyd-Jones and Palsson are getting ready to perform) and their inner worlds as they reflect on life in their 60s. The duo first worked together 22 years ago, for a Dance Base gala showcase, and have been in and out of each other’s lives ever since.
‘I’ve gone to Steinvör’s classes regularly over the years and we’ve worked together several times in other people’s shows,’ says Lloyd-Jones. ‘I’ve done her work, she’s done mine, and although we’re very different, we have a shared sensibility and often the same things make us laugh.’ Which has come in handy during the creation of Revel, a show that offers a healthy dose of humour as well as pathos. And in a profession usually wedded to the notions of youth, vitality and strength, it’s a chance to see two older professional dancers prove their mettle.
‘I hope people of a certain age will see themselves reflected in the show,’ says Lloyd-Jones. ‘The more we talk about ageing, the better, because it’s going to happen to us all. And we absolutely do not see enough older dancers on stage. But a couple of young people also came to see draft versions of the piece, and they found it funny and recognised things that happen to the older people in their lives. So I hope it has a universality to it.’
As for the nervousness that surrounded Lloyd-Jones’ 60th birthday, making Revel has put paid to all of that. ‘I decided I wasn’t going to care anymore, that I was going to do what I want and work with people who still value me,’ she says. ‘And if they don’t, then what can I do about that? Well, one thing I can do is make a show that says we’re still here and we have things to offer. Because I want to be learning and doing interesting stuff until I drop.’
Revel is touring Scotland until Friday 23 October.