Sydney Fringe Festival returns this September with its most expansive program yet, and dance is right at the heart of it. With over 460 events across ten festival hubs, the month-long celebration of independent art will transform Sydney into a hive of creativity, showcasing local talent alongside global innovators.
The newly reopened Eternity Playhouse hosts the Off Broadway Hub, where choreographer-director Lewis Major brings Triptych, his acclaimed triple bill fresh from a world tour. Sharing the stage is The Ghana Road Show, a vibrant fusion of circus, music and dance, celebrating the richness of West African culture, and Kate Bush Unmoored, reimagining the singer’s haunting music through exquisite choral and instrumental arrangements.
Sydney Dance Company’s Neilson Studio becomes home to the Dance Hub, spotlighting contemporary voices. Multidisciplinary New Zealand artist Liv Tennet presents For You to Know and Me to Find Out, a solo exploring matrescence and the transformation of motherhood, while MOVE FM brings together short works by emerging Sydney dance makers.
Dance also drives the Touring Hub at New Theatre, where international artists push boundaries. Highlights include Jo Tan’s KING, probing stereotypes and gender; and Denmark’s Himherandit Productions with Mass Effect, an electrifying exploration of physical endurance and group dynamics. For younger audiences, Shadow Necropolis blends Japanese shadow puppetry with fantasy adventure.
Sydney Fringe’s commitment to accessibility is embodied in LIMITLESS at Bondi Pavilion, championing d/Deaf and disabled artists. Alongside cabaret and music, the program features works that challenge and expand how movement is experienced on stage.
Experimental dance also finds space at UNSW’s TheLab@UNSW, where STILL FALL integrates cameras, green screens and digital filters into an exploration of fractured identities . Meanwhile, the Queer Hub at Qtopia Sydney amplifies LGBTQIA+ voices, and First Nations artists lead powerful works across the festival, ensuring that the storytelling of dance resonates far beyond the stage.
Sydney Fringe Festival 2025 is a celebration of movement in every sense – physical, cultural and emotional. From intimate solos to high-intensity ensemble works, the program confirms dance as one of the festival’s beating hearts.
Tickets and full program: sydneyfringe.com