dance

Review: MĀUI at the Sydney Opera House is storytelling at its best

Seen as a hero and a trickster, Māui was a demi-god whose adventures have been told and retold for hundreds of years. Steeped in the culture of the Pacific, his acts of bravery and remarkable life form the inspiration behind MĀUI at the Sydney Opera House. Brought to life by the New Zealand dance collective…

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Romeo and Juliet Suite

The Australian premiere of L.A. Dance Project’s Romeo and Juliet Suite at the Sydney Opera House is flawless

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, an ill-fated tale of star-crossed lovers, has been re-imagined time and time again. I honestly thought there was no ground left to cover when it came to adaptations of the beloved classic. I have never been more delighted to be wrong. Set to Prokofiev’s iconic score, Romeo and Juliet Suite at…

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SILENCE at the Sydney Opera House empowers people to speak up against the White noise

Part of UnWrapped, a series dedicated to uncovering the best independent creators, SILENCE, at the Sydney Opera House, is a visually stunning and deeply moving performance. Created by Karul Projects and produced by BlakDance, this contemporary dance work successfully examines and disrupts the deliberate and ongoing silence surrounding more than 250 years’ worth of struggle….

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Malevo at the Sydney Opera House showcases Argentinian culture and sets the stage on fire

Argentinian dance troupe Malevo bring their unique contemporary interpretation of the traditional folk dance Malambo to the Sydney Opera House. Meaning renegade or outlaw, Malevo combines facets of other dance styles like flamenco with Malambo, all set to the intoxicating rhythm of drums, guitar, violin and bandoneon (concertina). The Malambo is traditionally performed by Gauchos…

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Austral People announce first instalment of Summer Dance

The Summer Dance series is back in Sydney with the announcement of Four Tet and Jyoty for the first instalment. The Summer Dance series has become a mainstay of the Sydney club scene, this year at the Entertainment Quarter. On Saturday, 30 September, Summer Dance returns with a brand new format taking you from day to…

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Wudjang

Theatre Review: Bangarra’s Wudjang: Not the Past will leave you shaken

Described by Bangarra Director Stephen Page as “narrative dance theatre and contemporary ceremony”, Wudjang: Not the Past follows the journey of a young woman Nananhg (Jess Hitchcock) as she struggles to understand her cultural heritage while existing in a white system. When ancestral bones are discovered during excavation for a dam, one of the men,…

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Seventeen dancers assmeble on stage to learn a routine.

Theatre Review: A Chorus Line is a glimpse into the world of dance like you’ve never seen

Forming part of the 2022 Sydney Festival, A Chorus Line at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta delivers a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a dancer trying to forge a career on Broadway. Set on the stage of a theatre during auditions for a chorus line, the musical centres on the lives of seventeen hopefuls and…

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Interview: Australian director Lara Köse and choreographer Zoee Marsh on collaborating for their short film, Red Passion

Created in partnership with Campari as part of its dedication in supporting local artists, Red Passion is a short film exploring the intersections of dance and film.  A trio of dancers expressing their evolution through solo, duet and ensemble pieces, the creative project from emerging Australian director Lara Köse and choreographer Zoee Marsh is now streaming…

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Interview: Christopher Scott on choreographing In The Heights; “They could have done this live”

After In The Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda enlisted director Jon M. Chu to bring his acclaimed stage production to life on the big screen, Chu extended his arm to longtime collaborator Christopher Scott, the three-time Emmy nominated choreographer who helped shape the movements of the Step Up films. Ahead of the film’s Australian release, Peter…

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Theatre Review: Sydney Opera House’s Claudel shines a light on a forgotten genius

You could be forgiven for having never heard of a French sculptor named Camille Claudel. Like many talented and brilliant women history forgot, she existed in the shadow of a man and within the confines of a society that feared the ambitions of women. Growing up with a father who encouraged her and a mother…

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Magic Mike Live

Review: Is it hot in here? Magic Mike Live comes to Sydney

It is with no small amount of amusement that I tell you, Magic Mike Live has been one of the most difficult reviews I’ve ever had to write. It would be easy for me to sit here and wax lyrical about how attractive the dancers were (because they were) or how much the crowd of…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Rip, Drag and Ruminate showcases final year dancers – Adelaide College of the Arts (28.02.20)

Rip, Drag and Ruminate is a collection of short works from the Adelaide College of the Arts 3rd Year Dancers. Six pieces were presented. The opening sequence by Isobel Stolinski, “To Whom it May Concern”, dealt with art censorship and scrutiny. The Acid Arab soundtrack helped to create an uplifting message which contrasted with the…

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Adelaide Festival Review: Grand Finale is a joyous celebration of life and death

Israeli-born, London-based choreographer, Hofesh Shechter has had an impressive CV since 2007, when he released his critically acclaimed work “In your rooms”. Grand Finale is the first of his full-length works to be presented in Australia as part of the Adelaide Festival. The Hofesh Schechter Company is a diverse group of international dancers from eight…

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Circus Review: Matador is a thrilling mix of burlesque, dance, and circus acts (The Melba Spiegeltent until 2nd March)

A thrilling, beautiful, and jaw-dropping production. Matador is a fusion of burlesque, high energy dance pieces, and jaw-dropping aerial acts, all set to a story inspired the tale of the love torn bull and the seductive matador. The two-hour production is a thrilling series of electric solo and group dance numbers with awe inspiring circus…

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Melbourne Festival Review: Tree of Codes lights up the Arts Centre and inspires everyone to dance

Dancers are nothing short of athletes. Their athleticism, precision and dedication to their craft evokes an innate sense of wonder to the regular person, but in a show like Tree of Codes, it leaves you bewildered. Choreographer Wayne McGregor joins forces with visual artist Olafur Eliasson and music genius Jamie xx to produce a work that accentuates the human form through an…

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Interview: Stephanie Lake talks about all things dance in the lead up to her show Pile of Bones

Coming up in a couple of weeks is a brand new work by Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake. Pile of Bones is a visceral and eccentric choreographic and audio-visual exploration of the intricacies of our closest relationships. Before we see this work come to life, we had a chat with Lake about the need to self-fund in the…

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Dantanio talks paying tribute to Michael Jackson in HIStory

Dantanio is one of the world’s best impersonators that greets the stage. As well as performing as Sammy Davis Jr, he has observed Michael Jackson with a magnified eye since a young age. All that studying has paid off in what is deemed one spectacular show in HIStory – exploring the pop star’s most most…

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Dance Review: Nederlands Dans Theater – Arts Centre, Melbourne (22.06.16)

It’s not often you attend a show and leave feeling completely enamoured. Dance is such an expressive form of the human body and to see the physical and emotional commitment from every single dancer on the stage was spellbinding. We had a chat with Artistic Director Paul Lightfoot in the lead up to the Nederlands…

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Townsville’s Dancenorth to bring IF_WAS_ to the Judy later this month

Hosted by the Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts, in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, choreographers Stephanie Lake and Ross McCormack will present an intensely personal double-bill, in a brief run of shows from June 23rd to 25th. Deriving their work from a challenge set by Dancenorth artistic director Kevin Page, Lake and McCormack were asked to to…

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Pilobolus’ SHADOWLAND to return to Australia for national tour

After a hugely successful run 2014, American dance troupe Pilobolus are returning to Australia with their innovative show Shadowland, touring the country in August and September this year. Following a young girl as she falls asleep and descends into the Shadowland, meeting all manner of strange creatures along the way, the show is part dance, part…

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Arts Review: Miss Universal by Atlanta Eke – Chunky Move Studios, Melbourne (Performances to December 12th)

One of the beautiful things about contemporary dance is its ability to transcend mediums not often explored by mainstream dance disciplines. However, when it comes down to it, there does need to be a message that isn’t clouded by obscurity and organic motive. Miss Universal is Atlanta Eke’s second work commissioned in the Next Move…

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