Shall We Dance?
Rākau Roroa Tall Tree, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stewart Allan, on how his latest release got over 100 people around the world dancing together during a time of social distancing.
Released on the 29th of April 2021, Stewart Allan’s ‘Shall We Dance’ is a celebration of the power of dance and movement. Bringing together over 100 dancers in 14 countries, the track is a joyous song that represents the ways that music connects us by transcending borders, language barriers and time zones. After writing to more than 200 friends requesting a video of them dancing, Stewart and filmmaker Sammy Riley compiled the different range of dance styles to create a smile-inducing visual. Each video tells a story from children in India dancing in the shadow of the third-highest mountain in the world; a car-crash survivor in South Africa dancing on crutches; a popping group in Colombia and someone dancing with the dead in a cemetery in the USA.
We got to have a chat with Stewart to find out more about ‘Shall We Dance’ and his forthcoming album ‘9 Rooms’.
Changing Minds: Your latest release ‘Shall We Dance’ was released towards the end of April, when did you start writing the song?
Stewart Allan: I wrote the song over a number of years starting in about 1997. The first version was played at my cousin Martin’s funeral as ‘Twisted Entwined’ and although the name changed, that lyric is still in there. After that I really didn’t want to go near the song and left it alone for many years. It wasn’t until 2016 when the last piece of the jigsaw came with the pivotal line ‘Shall We Dance’ when the whole feel of it changed from sad to finding hope. I wrote that part on a bleak winter’s night when my wife was doing a month-long theatre season. Once that line was there, I knew I had finished. I wanted to convey a really positive and uplifting feel despite the loneliness I was feeling at the time. The creative process also became a way of me transforming my distress into recovery. There is a sense of yearning as well as celebration in the song and they work with each other to create just the right amount of bittersweet.
What was the inspiration for the song?
The lyric “Cross the dancefloor if you dare”, recognises the invisible barriers both physical and mental we have had placed upon us at this time because of COVID-19. It also speaks to the walls we put around ourselves, and invites the listener to recognise, and cross those boundaries. ‘Shall We Dance’ is ultimately a joyous invitation to do the one thing we
can all do right now, which is dance!
The lyrics also exist in simultaneous contexts. On one level it’s the awkward image of a school dance, the fear and anticipation of who might take the first step to connect. There is the empty void filled with music and lights, inviting and luring all to step in and let go. On another level it’s a narrative beginning on the shore of a beach, around a bonfire, in the street, or in your own backyard – feeling that spark of excitement with another person, but waiting for a signal, a sign to engage…
…shall we dance?
Crossing the invisible boundaries that can exist between people requires bravery and vulnerability, and a transcending of our natural fear. When we move toward each other it’s almost an out of body experience, dissociative, we transcend the physical, time slows, all that has gone before falls away.
What happens next, you get to choose.
When did filming for the video take place and how long did it take to put everything together?
The video took about 9 months to put together. We started in August 2020 during the second lockdown in Aotearoa. Once film maker Sammy Riley came up with the idea, which was to reference video conferencing, we emailed about 200 people with a simple instruction, here’s the song, please dance to it and film in landscape. After a month we had zero submissions, then one day my wife filmed some of our Tall Trees and Changing Minds whānau and shared it as an example of how easy it is to be part of a music video. She even asked Jacinda, but sadly never got a response, would’ve been great to have her cameo!
Sammy and I were really keen on getting a wide range of colourful dances and people. It was important to have the video oozing with vibrancy, humanity and joy, so we persisted and kept asking and asking.
The world was in lockdown and some videos had to be surreptitiously done such as one brave Frenchman who defied the Paris lockdown and danced in front of the Eiffel Tower. There’s a group in Whistler Canada who stayed inside for the rest of the year and they described filming their dance as the most joyful moment of 2020. Another dancer had recently escaped from a dire human trafficking situation and his dance was one of pure freedom. There’s a girl on crutches who whilst training for an ultra-marathon had been hit by a car the week before. As I mentioned earlier, there are a bunch of other Tall Trees in the video and I know a lot of their stories. It fills me with absolute joy that we could come together and achieve something like this.
Why is dance and movement important to you?
The song and video is a really good demonstration of the diversity of human movement and groove. I think it’s so important that everyone dances like no one’s watching and that’s what you see in the video. Dancing also enhances wellbeing and connection! The visual contains a wide range of dance styles including Spanish Flamenco, Bachata, Popping, there’s a bunch of modern and urban styles, and a lot of people just doing their thing from all over the world. I feature in a red suit doing what could be described as the random windmill. My brother James has immortalised himself with what has become known as the NZ finger point.
What was the response of everyone who sent through their videos to be included in the final piece?
When people saw the final video they were overwhelmed to see how beautiful and full of life it was, and that they had contributed to something that unified a large group of people and spoke of the importance of community and togetherness. It was amazing to see them share the video across the globe and the response was huge with over 20,000 views in just over a week from its launch!
As a Tall Tree, how has your lived experience influenced the themes of this song?
As a proud Tall Tree, I now make no secret of my ADHD and the struggles I have flourished. I used to hide it from everyone, which was exhausting to be honest. As a secondary school teacher, I think it really helps my students to know just how my brain works. As an artist, ADHD has been a blessing and a curse for me. On one hand it gives me endless creative energy, but I do find it hard to stick to one thing and finish it. ‘9 Rooms’ is the first album I’ve actually seen through to the end as I usually give up and move on to something new and shiny. I’m a bit of a vintage car nut and on that level, I do feel that my ADHD is like having another very anxious, random and demanding driver in the front seat. I do have to forcibly remove him from the driver’s seat from time to time. I made a lot of progress when I realised he was ruining my road trip.
Can you tell us a bit more about ‘9 rooms’ and the theme of the album?
There are 9 songs and I liked the idea that each song represented a room that was attached to a larger structure of support that makes up my world. The listener therefore walks between the rooms of my life. Each song represents a different geographical and emotional space, and is connected to significant moments and junctions in my life. Music is an important part of my well-being and each song becomes a release of the moment that it expresses. For example the next single ‘Silver Wings’, is about honouring our family connection to the whenua of Australia and captures the mixed feelings we had leaving it. The song ‘Glow’, speaks of the wonder, trial and bewildering experience of the birth of our tamariki. ‘The End is the Start’ was born as my Mother passed from this life and is a journey down the river Ganges through the holy city Varanasi, where bodies are taken to be cremated and sent joyfully into the afterlife. ‘New Moon’ and ‘Rocks’ talk about the tragedy of war in many places and of the human spirit to protest against tyranny, which we witnessed when visiting Egypt during the Arab Spring. Plus the number 9 represents divine completeness, and it has been a hard road to get this album done around all the distractions and impediments that my head creates for me.
Stream ‘Shall We Dance’ here and watch the music video here.