Ten Things To See At Dance Massive

Dance Massive stretches and prances across from the Coopers Malthouse theatre, Arts House and Dancehouse from 10-22 Mar to put on one of Australia’s leading contemporary dance festivals in March 2015, in conjunction with Ausdance Victoria. A mixture of dance pieces and creative development, it continues the cultivation of our vibrant dance community and respective audience following in Victoria. To help you on your journey through contemporary movement, we’ve narrowed the selection down to what we think are ten of the must-see performances on Dance Massive's program. For the full list of events, details and tickets, head to the Dance Massive website.

                    
                                                                            Nothing To Lose

nothing to lose — 11-21 mar, the coopers malthouse, merlyn theatre

A collaboration between Force Majeure's Artistic Director, Kate Champion, and fat activist, Kelli Jean Drinkwater, who is performing at Sydney Festival this January, this is a loud and proud performance that asks the audience to reassess what ‘fat’ means to them. The point is to force introspection into our own set of judgements and stereotypes based around the word ‘fat’ and to reclaim the performative realm for all large bodies. 

Kingdom  — 18-22 Mar, arts house, meat market

Part dance company, part not-for-profit, part provocation, Phillip Adams BalletLab has been known to push the envelope of contemporary dance on more than one occasion. In Kingdom, four male choreographers work together and against each other to explore their sexualities, queer identity, queer literature and their collective desires. There may be orgasmic breathing.

Do You Speak Chinese? — 18-22 Mar, the coopers malthouse, tower theatre

Can our bodies speak for us about our race? Melbourne dancer Victoria Chiu questions her identity as a Chinese woman with this performance. Often asked if she speaks Chinese, Chiu uses her physicality to explore what relationship language has to our identity, culture and race.

                    
                                                                                Overworld

overworld — 10-14 mar, arts house, north melbourne town hall 

Rebecca Jansen and Sarah Aiken team up to look at how disconnected we can all get through our shallow yet broad exposure to internet content. They touch on gaming, YouTube, erotica and even neo-paganism to show us that access to topics isn’t necessarily understanding or valuing it. 

Body of Work — 16-18 Mar, dancehouse, sylvia staehli theatre

Melbourne artist Atlanta Eke has won the Keir Choreographic Award for this performance. Eke asks us what the 'present' actually is, and whether we can any longer distinguish human from machine. Eke questions whether the present could be imagined as a time loop in her performance with an interaction between the body, images and the technical machine.

Depth of Field — 6-14 mar, the coopers malthouse, forecourt                                           

This outdoor dance event presented by Chunky Move follows three subjects as they explore the city landscape. Chunky Move are well known for contemporary pieces that explore community, environment and an individual’s relationship to both. Directed and choreographed by Anouk van Dijk, the piece explores untold truths of city habitation.

                    
                                                                                      Merge

Merge — 18-22 mar, arts house, meat market

Four performers interact with uniquely designed objects by visual artists Bridie Lunney and Ash Keating, asking us to reflect on our relationships to inanimate objects. Commissioned by Lucy Guerin Inc, it is inspired by urban architecture, how we adapt to it and how it subsequently moulds us without our awareness. Choreographer Melanie Lane achieves this by creating dysfunctional moments between body and object.

maximum— 14-17 mar, dancehouse, upstairs studio

Choreographer and dancer Natalie Abbott teams up with professional bodybuilder Donny Henderson-Smith. What ensues is a display that reveals the nature of physicality, through movement tasks and intense acts of physical endurance. With a throbbing soundtrack underneath it all, Maximum balances a load of extremes and contrasts to highlight the way two very different bodies can unite through performance. 

10,000 small deaths — 20-22 mar, dancehouse, sylvia staehli theatre

This solo dance performance by Paula Lay delves into the poetics and immediacy of the body. Its inspirations range from manga artist Takaya Miou to Jim Jarmusch’s film, Dead Man, and it contemplates the link between life and death and the impermanence of our existences. What's real, what's imagined and what can possibly happen are questioned.