On this page:- Pieces  - Arcade  - Decoy  - Now is the Hour  - Processions  - Souvenirs  - This Is A Love Song  - Vigil Switch Companies  - Laura Dean  - Limbs notes links

Don McGlashan - Dance

Music for dance.

Pieces

Arcade, 1981

Limbs Dance Company, about 10 minutes

Choreographer: M. J. O'Reilly and Malcolm Ross
Music Composer: Don McGlashan
Design: M. J. O'Reilly

Reference Number: Film: F5797 (New Zealand Film Archive advanced search)

Decoy, 1984

Limbs Dance Company, about 17 minutes

Choreographer: Gary Lester
Music Composer: Don McGlashan
Design: Gary Lester

Reference Number: Film: F5825 (New Zealand Film Archive advanced search)

Now is the Hour, 1988

Limbs Dance Company, 75 minutes
Created by Douglas Wright, performed at that year's Wellington International Arts Festival.

Don McGlashan - original music

Reference Number: Film: F5863 (New Zealand Film Archive advanced search)

Processions, 1992

Created by Mary Jane O'Reilly for the Graduates of the New Zealand School of Dance, and the 25th Anniversary.
Performed at the Wellington Opera House for a season.

Music by Don McGlashan and Wayne Laird.

Souvenirs, 1984

Created by Mary Jane O'Reilly
Performed by Limbs Dance Company
Inspired by icons of NZ such as marching girls.

Original music by Don McGlashan.
Commissioned by Mary Jane O'Reilly

This Is A Love Song, 1983, 2001

"...Love Song (O'Reilly to Don McGlashan's music) shows satirical bite as a society chorus squawks endlessly at a young couple who only want to be left alone. It was powerfully danced by Debbie Fulford and [Sean] Macdonald."

 - Evening Post, Wellington on Limbs retro.spective, November, 2001

Choreographer: M. J. O'Reilly
Music Composer: Credits differ in the New Zealand Film Archive (advanced search) records of Limbs Dance Company compilations:

• F5839 - Don McGlashan and Limbs Voices
• F5848 and F5936 - Don McGlashan and Ivan Zagni
• F5914 - Don McGlashan (only)

A song with same title, but in two parts, is on the Standards (NZ) EP 1982 by Don McGlashan and Ivan Zagni

Vigil Switch, 1985

Choreographer: John McLaughlin
Music Composer: Don McGlashan and traditional Japanese folk songs sung by Yuko Takahashi
Design: Lynne Nicol

Reference Number: Film: F5921 (New Zealand Film Archive advanced search)

Companies

Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians

• He co-composed the scores to two new Dean pieces
• Later appointed Music Rehearsal Director.
• Toured with the company on US and European tours, playing drums and synthesiser.

Review in New York Times, April 26, 1983: Dance: Three Works by Laura Dean

...Miss Dean provided the music, as well as the choreography, for her dances. Her scores for percussion and synthesizer, played by David Yoken, Don McGlashan and Miss Dean herself, helped reinforce the choreographic rhythms. However, though they may have been spare, they were not monotonous. The music for ''Inner Circle'' had a driving intensity. ''Sky Light'' was a confident rat-tat-tat and ''Enochian'' combined liquid murmurs with chiming bells.

Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians, Sadler's Wells, May 17-21, 1983

Dance Premiere: October, 1976 May 18, 21 Choreographer/Composer Laura Dean Lighting Design Richard Nelson Costumes Nicholas Romanelli Dancers Ching Gonzalez Elizabeth Maxwell Marianne Schultz Renouard Gee William Setters Kristin Jackson Musicians David Yoken Autoharp Don McGlashan Autoharp

Enochian Premiere: March 19, 1983 May 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Choreographer/Composer Laura Dean Lighting Design Mitchell Bogard Dancers Laura Dean Ching Gonzalez Musicians Don McGlashan Synthesizer David Yoken Bells

Inner Circle Premiere: March 19, 1983 May 17, 19, 20 Choreographer/Composer Laura Dean Lighting Design Richard Nelson Dancers In order of appearance Ching Gonzalez Marianne Schultz Elizabeth Maxwell William Setters Kristin Jackson Renouard Gee Musicians David Yoken Percussion Don McGlashan Percussion Laura Dean Synthesizer

Sky Light Premiere: May 29, 1982 May 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Choreographer/Composer Laura Dean Lighting Design Richard Nelson Dancers In order of appearance Kristin Jackson Marianne Schultz Ching Gonzalez Elizabeth Maxwell Renouard Gee William Setters Musicians David Yoken Percussion Don McGlashan Percussion

Dance by former member of Laura Dean Dancers, Ching Gonzalez: Dance: Premiere by Ching Gonzalez, New York Times, September 12, 1983, "Flight Paths"

"...dancers included John Brooks, Brian Carbee, Nini Melvin, Marianne Schultz, Ching Valdes, Shona Wilson and Mr. Gonzalez, and their anxieties were appropriately accompanied by a propulsive and insistent score by Don McGlashan that combined taped sounds with music by a combo consisting of Alan Drogin, Ed Nieman, Nurit Tilles and the composer."

Limbs Dance Company

The Limbs Dance Company was formed in the late 1970's; the first tour was 1978-9; and the company disbanded in 1989. The company records are currently in Auckland City Library.

1979-85 Don McGlashan co-composed several works for the company, including Arcade, 1981; Decoy, 1984; Now is the Hour, 1988; Souvenirs, 1984; This Is A Love Song, 1983; Vigil Switch, 1985.

Phantom Limbs: Researching a New Zealand Dance Company [pdf] - a history of Limbs Dance Company by Marianne Schultz

Review in New York Times, October 7, 1984: Dance: Troupe From New Zealand

Notes

Mary Jane O'Reilly was choreographer of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony in Auckland, 1990.

Links

Mary Jane O'Reilly

Limbs retro.spective 2001

Laura Dean (Albany Berkshire Ballet)

Page compiled by carolyn
Last updated 2nd September, 2007.