Could this be the most longest distance collaboration of Australian dance companies? Dancenorth, based in Townsville in Queensland, and Tasmania’s Tasdance are joining forces for a combined program.
The program, called "Threefold", is a triple bill featuring works by three choreographers of international repute: Raewyn Hill, Gavin Webber and Huang Yi.
Hill is Dancenorth’s New Zealand-born artistic director. Webber is a former artistic director of Dancenorth and a founding director of Splinter Group who spends much of his time choreographing in Europe. Both are well known here and overseas. Yi is a brilliant young choreographer from Taiwan. He has received the Taipei Digital Art Performance Award for his Duet with Human and Robot and was named one of the US Dance Magazine’s “25 to watch” in 2011. He has had work commissioned by Cloudgate Dance Theatre II, among others.
The production has created some interesting logistics. Rehearsals were held simultaneously in Launceston and Townsville for six weeks, with the four of the cast working in the south and two in the north. All six performers and the three choreographers joined together in Townsville for three weeks before the opening on August 7 in Hobart.
"Threefold: Webber / Hill / Huang Yi" will tour to Townsville August 7 - 10, Mackay at the Entertainment and Convention Centre on August 13, Cairns at the Centre of Contemporary Arts on August 15 and 16, Launceston at the Earl Arts Centre on August 21 - 23 and Hobart at the Theatre Royal on August 28 and 29.
See an example of Yuan Li’s previous work below: