Generating Divergence Grey Panthers

In 2023 we developed a project called Generating Divergence - Aging Into the Unknown.

The project brought together an impressive cohort of dance peers, to explore dance and the ageing body. In a month-long research and development residency, Helen Herbertson, 2022 recipient of the Creative Australia (previously Australia Council For The Arts) Award for Dance, joins Tracks as a guest collaborator and provocateur. The other collaborators were: David McMicken, Rachael Wallis, Desak Putu Warti, Maari Gray, and Jessica Devereux.

As part of this work, the cohort worked with the Grey Panthers. A smaller group of Grey Panthers wanted to continue exploring improvisation and choreographic techniques. This in itself is unusual as the exploration of process is not often associated with older adults. The original group was Clare Heath, Darryl Butler, David McMicken, Ellen Hankin, Lyn Minchin, Natina Demetriou, and  Nikki CharlesworthCanning.

The group first created and performed Va(pourous) for Fresh Tracks in 2024

Why Divergence? As one ages, one still has to deal with what life brings to you in all of its rich complexity. It is a time for compound thinking. Divergent thinking is a way of problem-solving while remaining mentally agile. Divergent thinking generates many different ideas in a short period of time, without judgment or criticism, breaking a topic down into its various component parts in order to gain insight about the differing aspects. Divergent thinking typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing manner, such that the ideas are generated in a random, unorganised fashion. Following divergent thinking, the ideas and information will be organised using convergent thinking; i.e., putting the various ideas back together in some organised, structured way.