Shifting the dial on pregnant dancers on stage

It wasn’t long ago that pregnancy could signal the end of a dancer’s career. Thankfully, things have changed, with companies like Co3 taking a different approach.
pregnant dancers. A ensemble scene from a contemporary dance work on a darkened stage being performed by six dancers one of whom is 30 weeks pregnant.

Last week, Co3 contemporary dance company premiered its work Architect of the Invisible to packed houses in Perth, and audiences saw its cast of 23 dancers stretched to their limits of strength and endurance.

It’s a work that imaginatively reconfigures Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, journeying through worlds of darkness and haze, as led by its throng of performers who pulse across its multi-levelled stage.

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ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).