A new touring initiative from Australian Dance Theatre, Dancehouse and Sydney Dance Company will place four independent Australian works on stages across three states this spring.
Supported by Creative Australia, ORBIT has been established as a fully supported, multi-city tour, addressing one of the persistent difficulties facing independent choreographers: securing further seasons for a work after its premiere.
The scale of that difficulty was apparent during the selection process. More than half the artists who applied for ORBIT had never toured their work, with limited presentation opportunities, increasing costs and other logistical barriers preventing productions from travelling.
“Independent artists lead the sector and consistently expand the idea of what it means to create contemporary dance in this country,” said Australian Dance Theatre Executive Director Nick Hays.
“But creating and touring work is getting more challenging, especially for independent choreographers. Working with our friends in Sydney and Melbourne to support these remarkable works and bring them to audiences is a real thrill. We can’t wait for ORBIT.”
The inaugural program brings together artists at different stages of their careers. The selected works are Agitato by Jo Lloyd, [gameboy] by Amy Zhang, Future History by Gabrielle Nankivell and Charcoal by Githabul, Migunberri and Gomeroi choreographer Keia McGrady.
Lloyd’s Agitato responds to Fanny Mendelssohn’s 1823 composition Allegro molto agitato in D minor, creating a choreographic conversation between women working two centuries apart.
McGrady’s Charcoal draws upon the regenerative power of cultural burning. Performed by McGrady and Gamilaroi and Wadawurrung artist Amelia Jean O’Leary, the work traces connections between Country, spirit, landscape and lineage.
In [gameboy], Zhang combines street styles and contemporary dance as two performers become avatars negotiating a succession of challenges. Influenced by The Sims, Japanese game shows and online culture, the work examines competition, control and the increasingly blurred boundary between physical and digital life.
Nankivell’s Future History places the body within cycles of uncertainty, extinction, conflict, epidemic and environmental upheaval, moving between microscopic life and large-scale ecological change. The four works will tour in two paired programs, with Agitato presented alongside Charcoal, and [gameboy] paired with Future History.
“Unbeknownst to most Australians, some of our most exciting living artists are our home-grown choreographers,” said Dancehouse CEO and Artistic Director Josh Wright, describing ORBIT as “a chance to experience a selection of the celebrated but rarely seen dance works” that are often presented in only one city for a few nights.
Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela said the partnership would allow the three organisations to extend their support for independent choreographers.
“Together with Australian Dance Theatre and Dancehouse, we can broaden this support, sharing their creativity and vibrant impact to even more audiences, reaching across the country with this important touring program.”
ORBIT opens at Dancehouse in Melbourne from 29 to 31 October, returning from 19 to 21 November. Sydney and Adelaide seasons run from 5 to 14 November at Sydney Dance Company’s Neilson Studio and Australian Dance Theatre’s The Odeon respectively. The tour will also visit Bunjil Place from 19 to 20 November and Burrinja Cultural Centre on 28 November.