From Antarctica to a bathtub, this choreographer is making the world his stage
Choreographer Corey Baker takes the Shakespearean adage ‘all the world’s a stage’ quite literally. “Although I love dance, I always felt limited,” Baker says. Freeing himself from the spotlight, he directs movement pieces wherever he likes – in Antarctica, atop the skyscrapers of Hong Kong, or from a bath. “I want to make art accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any point,” Baker says.
His career kicked off as a ballet dancer, but Baker soon realised that he preferred to shape other people’s steps rather than execute them himself. Born and raised in New Zealand, his outlook on life is infused with a reverence and appreciation for the natural world. Baker became the first person to produce a dance film from the frigid beauty of Antarctica, raising awareness about the climate crisis. Under the banner of Corey Baker Dance, he produces his own work and partners with dancers from across the globe. At the 2015 Rugby World Cup in London, Baker put on Haka exhibition dances to share Maori culture. Five years later, under COVID-19 lockdown, he remotely directed dancers in their baths and showers for the Swan Lake Bath Ballet, a splashing display of his ebullient versatility.
Dance is an inherently human act, but who gets to watch it professionally is often reserved for the elite. “More people have access to WiFi than a theatre,” Baker says. “Coming from not such a wealthy household myself inspired me to create work for people who also can’t economically, culturally, or geographically get to theatres or opera houses.” Spurred by the unlimited access and equality that an internet connection provides, the choreographer works anywhere but the exclusive confines of theatres. “My mission is to create work that is needed, loved, and enjoyed by as many people as possible,” Baker says. As technology makes the art world more egalitarian, he’ll be on the frontlines, figuring out how we move forward together.
