Raewyn Hill
2004: A Dance Odyssey
02 August 2004
Throughout August, the Sydney Opera House is offering audiences a chance to enjoy the best of national and international dance, with a unique trans-national dance programme, Far Flung.
Featuring Australian Dance Theatre, New Zealand artist Raewyn Hill and New Danish Dance Theatre, all of the dance productions in Far Flung feature extra visual elements, whether it be projection, video or, err, peat moss.
From 10 to 22 August, Australian Dance Theatre performs HELD, their critically acclaimed collaboration with American dance photographer Lois Greenfield.
HELD juxtaposes the rapid nature of dance with the stillness of the photographic image in an extraordinary live performance. As the ADT dancers propel themselves through space, Greenfield joins them on stage, freezing peak moments of the dance at 1/2000 of a second, with the captured images projected instantaneously as she shoots. These extraordinary images then appear live on two large video screens, taking the audience even further into Garry Stewart’s choreography.
Acclaimed New Zealand choreographer and dancer Raewyn Hill makes her Australian debut in Far Flung, with her atmospheric production When Love Comes Calling. Highly regarded for her dramatic and physical daring, Hill is one of New Zealand's leading female dancers and a powerful new choreographic voice. She has won several awards and danced with New Zealand’s most respected companies and artists, including Douglas Wright Dance Company, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Michael Parmenter.
Performed on a floor of peat and under a mist of rain, When Love Comes Calling is a physical exploration of the words ‘regret’, ‘denial’, ‘trust’, ‘temptation’, ‘desire’ and ‘truth’. Nic McGowan’s original music and a poignant film complete the experience.
Also making their Australian debut in Far Flung is Denmark’s leading contemporary dance company, New Danish Dance Theatre. The company of ten talented dancers will perform the double-bill Graffiti and Shadowland, choreographed by young British choreographer Tim Rushton.
Shadowland and Graffiti explore the Beat Generation of the 1960s, with a fusion of words, music and dance in a free flow of impressions. Making use of original recordings of the Beat poets, Rushton and video designer Signe Krogh have created a unique space for the dancers to explore abstract and narrative elements.
More Information
Far Flung
10-28 August
Drama Theatre and The Studio, Sydney Opera House
Tickets: $95
Bookings: 9250 7777
Website: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
