Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Sacha Copland

Tell us about your show. What can audiences expect from you, and what would you like audiences to take away from seeing this production at the Fringe?

Anatomy for Accountants is a love letter to the body with all its beauty, scars, muscles, power, vulnerability, history and hilarity. It meshes storytelling, dance, live music, numbers, and joyful, hilarious, beautiful nudity. As the choreographer and performer, the show sees me open up my life for dissection in the quest to try and find out how much I am worth. We bring the audience along for the ride as Chief Financial Officer and musician (Tristan Carter) tries to price every part of my body (the assets), all of my flaws, and what I owe the future (the liabilities) while I dance and tell the stories of my life. 

It’s an important topic to talk about. We live in a world based on infinite growth. We live in a world that constantly demands more. Our bodies and our time on earth are finite; we begin and end. I’d like audiences to gain a new appreciation of their own body and the outrageous wonder of it – all the seven trillion tingling nerves – some relief, a little cynicism about the current economic structures, a little catharsis, joy, some space for grief and some deep breaths.

Can you talk about some of the creative team involved?

Tristan Carter is a sought after violinist who can play an outrageous number of genres. He has the hands of a musician, the heart of an actor, and the head of a Chief Financial Officer. As a performer, choreographer, and creative, I have worked with Tristan for 10 years – but this is the first show we have made as a duo, with dramaturgy by Sameena Zehra. I have run Java Dance Theatre for 20 years and toured all over the world with immersive, tactile, and interactive dance theatre.

What has shaped the show? Where do you draw inspiration from for your work? 

The body is wildly inspiring, especially when combined with stories from our lives. I love watching people. I love and detest analysing the systems we live in. My favourite thing is to try and magnify the things that, despite being there, we try to ignore. I like to bring elephants into the room to stand them front and centre; even in 2024, there are still things we all find hard to talk about. I am inspired by honesty. Art is so provocative because it asks you to be curious – it asks you not to avoid anything, even if it seems like a good idea to. I think sometimes we are a little scared of the body. This show gives the body back its full expressive, expansive range. 

Looking at this new show, how would you say it links to your previous work both personally and thematically?

Eeeesh, this is the show that let the cat out of the bag. I made metaphoric shows for 20 years and Anatomy for Accountants is blunt – beautifully blunt. It is edgier and offers a different kind of honesty in comparison to my previous shows. It has my creative and personal signatures of joy, beauty, and catharsis, but it doesn’t let anyone off the hook and it seeks to call out power structures. Dance sometimes looks pretty or controlled, but I think dance is an act of rebellion – our bodies hold so much. Our bones hold the dreams of our ancestors… well, I reckon they do.

Do you tend to take inspiration from events happening in the world around you in terms of your work? Do you think artists have a responsibility to respond to what’s happening?

Yes! We live in the world. I think it would be hard to make work that didn't respond to the space and events around you. With Anatomy for Accountants, I see that worth is everywhere. Our worth is constantly being evaluated in all sorts of ways; our lives are constantly being reduced to numbers. It's very practical from a political perspective, but I think it is the artist's job to push back against reductive, compartmentalised thinking, especially that about people. Art has a lot of jobs. Lucky that the Fringe is such a big festival! When I was younger I used to think art could be neutral, but nothing is neutral. Art is the least neutral and I love that!

How do you feel about the current arts landscape in your country and your part in it? Does it excite you and inspire you to keep pushing the boat out?

The arts landscape in New Zealand is amazing, especially the explosion of Māori work at the moment. I love how cross-artform NZ work is. We love to experiment, and there is a lot of freedom in NZ because there is so much physical space and not too many constraints (other than funding). I love being part of the multi-generational tapestry of artists here. I just did an arts residency down south for 10 weeks and I was so inspired by a beautiful 3D quilt maker called Maungarongo Te Kawa. I like how surprising NZ is. People are often very unassuming and then they have these epic arts practices. So, yes – I want to keep pushing the boat out! I have this work I do that is an hour-long improvised show where two dancers talk, dance and attempt to be honest for a hour. I want to do that with people all over NZ and the world.

What can the wider arts community do to get more people involved in their specific disciplines?

I would get rid of specific disciplines completely. I don’t think dance and music have ever been separate, or theatre. I think collaboration gets more people involved. Silos are a dangerous thing and becoming more dangerous by the second. I think it’s all about inviting people to be a part of something that is important, but in their own way.

What’s next for you and how are you feeling about the future in general?

After Edinburgh, I will help curate and create the dance for the Christchurch Buskers Festival. I’m also thinking of collaborating with my 78 year old mum, researching trauma informed embodiment in relation to choreography, and touring Back of the Bus again. I am excited about people and the world but scared about the political and economic climate.

How can Edinburgh audiences keep up with you beyond the festival?

javadance.nz