Andi Snelling

Déjà Vu
(And Other Forms of Knowing)

Welcome to the realm of déjà vu, where dreams and intuition collide.
Where secret signals are lost and found in the subliminal mind.
It’s the futile grasp of dissolving vision, which possibly never existed.
The mysterious warp of knowing the unknown, and re-living the predicted.

Déjà Vu (And Other Forms of Knowing) is an experimental, solo dance-theatre work about the power of the subconscious mind and the mysterious phenomenon of innate ‘knowing’ - our ability to know things without being able to explain how, such as via déjà vu, intuition, dreams, gut instinct, etc.

Gothic, eerie and mischievous, the show blends contemporary dance with clowning and improvisation, underscored by a haunting soundtrack and choreography that juxtaposes connection/disconnection and safety/danger, highlighting the body’s perpetual fight for knowledge that will help it survive.

Déjà Vu breaks conventional narrative arcs and toys with audience expectation through surprise, suspense and deception. Capitalising on clever lighting, haze, torches, chalk, and a gigantic black cape that hides and distorts movement, this out-of-the-box show warps time, space and perception. Think Wes Anderson meets Tim Burton in style.

Déjà Vu is currently in its rework development phase, thanks to funding from Arts SA. The work had an initial development season at Melbourne Fringe in 2016 but was never fully realised due to Andi’s worsening health at the time, so it is deeply meaningful for her to now revisit and reimagine it after 7 years of fighting chronic illness.

The original inspiration stemmed from some inexplicable psychic experiences Andi had had, such as sensing her grandmother’s unexpected death before it happened and knowing she was about to have a bike accident an hour prior to it occurring. Looking back now, much of the original choreographic style and narrative of this show was a foreshadow of what was to come for Andi and how her body would function during the peak of her illness, as if her subconscious was communicating through her body and her art. Thus, returning to this work now feels meta and all the more powerful. 

Created, Performed & Produced by Andi Snelling
Original Development Season Directed by Danielle Cresp
Costume Design by Victoria Haslam
Sound by Caleb Garfinkel

Critical response to original development season, Melbourne Fringe 2016:

"Déjà Vu is dreamlike experimental visual theatre that plunges its audience into a twisted, sometimes darkly comic underworld. On one level the piece seems to hark back to the glamour and grunge of Weimar cabaret, or the moody shadowplay of expressionist cinema, the zaniness of the golden age of silent clowning. On another, it's entirely its own thing… Nightmarishly funny... with a special talent for mischievous humour. Déjà Vu will leave you mystified." - Cameron Woodhead, The Age

"Truly beautiful... (Snelling) is never less than an engaging presence... It's like something out of Beckett; an Endgame for one." - Tim Byrne, Timeout

"Sublime to watch... An eerie and fascinating physical exploration... a truly original and exciting show." - Myf Clark,  Aussie Theatre

"Dance theatre at its best." - Anne-Marie Peard, Sometimes Melbourne

"Snelling is spellbinding... a master chameleon of movement, a physical provocateur,  - Jo Daly, Weekend Notes

"A spectacular performance... her acting talent is phenomenal." - Penny Stephens, Milkbar Mag

"Brilliant... a piece that allows the audience to take away different perspectives." - April Brenner, BCause Arts

"An exciting piece that will have you working from beginning to end." - Amber Bock, The Plus Ones

"Every scene is visually striking... Andi has such incredible control of her body." - Keith Gow

Stills from Déjà Vu (And Other Forms of Knowing), Melbourne Fringe 2016 season.
(Photography by Sarah Walker)