FESTIVAL – Sydney Festival 2010: Dance

January 9, 2010toJanuary 30, 2010

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Sydney Festival welcomes Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite and her company Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM on their premiere visit to Australia with Dark Matters, a haunting exploration of the great unknown. Pite’s work fuses classical elements with the complexity and freedom of structured improvisation and a strong theatrical sensibility.
CarriageWorks will host two dance works – Giselle and Tempest: without a body. Part-theatre part dance, Giselle is choreographer Michael Keegan Dolan’s radical re-telling of the famous romantic ballet, moving it to a damp and dour Irish village. With its themes of madness and ghostly revenge, Fabulous Beast’s Giselle celebrates the triumph of the human spirit, albeit through a weekly line-dancing class.
In Tempest: without a body, Samoan choreographer Lemi Ponifasio and his MAU company present a visually ravishing and apocalyptic response to the sinister escalation of post-9/11 state powers. Partdance, part-theatre, part-oratory, Ponifasio’s powerful work speaks of conflicts, terrorism and colonialism, as well as the hope for a life of dignity and respect. With Ponifasio’s distinctive dance style of ceremonial ecstasy, Tempest also features an extraordinary appearance by prominent M?ori activist Tame Iti.

For a high-energy full-throttle experience, try Brazil’s Balé de Rua at Sydney Opera House, a pulsating mix of African dance, hip-hop, samba and capoeira.   Balé de Rua literally translates as ‘ballet of the street,’ the cast of fifteen dancers and two vocalists have wowed audiences the world over with their unique combination of traditional samba and capoeira with modern hip hop and street dance. Now they have brought their vivid vision of Brazil to the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall stage for a series of performances that promise to be spectacular.

From dark, poignant scenes of past slavery, to beautifully crafted segments of traditional dance, to energetic and exhilarating displays of Brazilian flexibility and stamina, Balé de Rua is a celebration of life. It is definitely worth the effort to journey through Brazil with these dancers, and their amazing percussion and infectious passion for dance are sure to draw you into their world. This is street ballet like you’ve never seen it before.
Balé de Rua is playing at the Concert Opera Hall, Sydney Opera House, until 17 January 2010.

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