Esque

Name and Role: Keren Smith – Co-creator/choreographer.

Plug your show! We have dancers from the Moulin Rouge, Shikye has recently returned after two years, and I spent six years dancing with them. Plus we have some really talented up and coming local dancers. With this show we've focused on allure through dance and movement. But beyond that we've tried to create a classic cabaret of burlesque and short plays, like you would expect to see in Paris. The short plays are absurd comedies that we've integrated in a unique way.

Where did the idea for your show come from? Scott Selkirk (co-creator/writer/director) and I have been friends since uni in Melbourne. In 2011 we both found ourselves living in Sydney and after seeing a burlesque show thought, 'We could do that'. With his background in theatre, and mine in dance, we believed we could create something complementary. The more shows we saw the more we agreed on what did and didn't work. These eventually became principles we've applied; for me the girls had to be experienced dancers able to perform confidently in heels, for Scott it was scripted and directed support performances. And we agreed on a 'No Tassels' policy, actually that might've been the first thing we agreed to!

We talked for over a year and initially thought we do it for the 2011 Fringe but the timing wasn't right. To be honest that's nearly as far as it got, just a lot of talk, until one day Scott text me the idea to call it Esque and that's when the starters gun went off.

What have the past few months or so been like in the lead-up to Fringe? Stupidly busy but very exciting to see the pieces fit together week to week and feel the show grow into itself.

What other shows are you looking forward to at this year's Fringe? 100 Years Of Lizards at the New Theatre.

What excites you about being involved in the Sydney Fringe 2012? Being a part of it!

WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 20 to Saturday 29 September, New Theatre