News just in is that Melanie Lane will take on the leadership of the Melbourne-based contemporary dance company, Lucy Guerin Inc, beginning in 2027. Guerin recently announced that she is retiring from the artistic directorship of the company she has led for 25 years. The company will take on a new name once Lane takes on the role.
The appointment promises much if Lane’s work as an independent choreographer is anything to go by. The news is a particular thrill for the Canberra dance community given that Lane grew up in Canberra and received intensive dance training at the National Capital Ballet School under the direction of Janet Karin. Lane has brought her work to Canberra on several occasions, including for Canberra’s youth company Quantum Leap.
I spoke to Lane for this website a few years ago when she recalled with pleasure her years as a student in Canberra, especially her training with Karin.‘Janet was so supportive of new choreography,’ Lane says. ‘I really got connected with contemporary movement as a result.’ Read the full post at this link.
Lane has made some truly remarkable works over the past years including for some of Australia’s leading contemporary dance companies. They include the much celebrated WOOF for Sydney Dance Company in 2019. Read my thoughts on WOOF in this review (It’s at the end of the review of a triple bill program!).
Her recent production, MOUNTAIN, with an electronic soundscape from CLARK and design by Akira Isogawa, will have one performance on 17 October 2026 at the Canberra Theatre Centre.
Follow Lane’s work as reviewed on this website at this link.
Early in September I had the pleasure again of seeing a performance from the Bachelor of Creative Arts second and third year students in Dance from the Adelaide College of the Arts, working together with fellow students in Technical Production & Design.
I wondered, I have to andmit, about the name of the work. Who was Maisey? Well, it seems that one chair, amidst the various chairs that were used in the show, was especially significant. One of the students told me it represented ‘grandma’s chair’ and that the choreographer’s grandma was named Maisey. Later I discovered via the program that this was indeed the case.
Choreographed by Rhiannon McLean, the ‘narrative’ of the work, according to program notes, is: ‘… a reference to time and memory of what we hold in our body as knowledge, what our minds read as fact and what one person might remember over another, in the same place, in the same room, at the same time.’
I’m not quite sure what the purpose of the chairs was but I suspect, since all the chairs were different, they represented individuals present and past? But I particularly enjoyed one section—an expressive fight over a chair, danced by the two male dancers in the group.
All things considered, the work was beautifully danced by all, whether they were performing singly, in a group, or with another dancer in a duet. It is always a thrill, too, to see the way in which the Adelaide College dancers and technical students work so well together. A terrific training experience for future professional careers.
BOLD 2026
Liz Lea established the BOLD Festival in Canberra in 2017 and went on to present further BOLD events in 2019, 2022 and 2024. BOLD celebrates the legacy of dance in all cultures, and from dancers of all abilities and generations. This year, 2026, BOLD is partnering with the Craft + Design Canberra Festival and, as a result, the focus is on dance and design with further emphasis on dissent and disability. BOLD 2026 will run from 6-15 November at various venues. It will include a two day symposium at the Canberra Museum and Gallery on 12-13 November and a great range of other events.
The full program is still being finalised but a selection of live performances and films has been publicised. Just as a taster, the Festival will close on 15 November with a triple bill, Being BOLD. Anca Frankenhaeuser, Patrick Harding-Irmer and Chrissie Koltai will present I Thought You Were Dead But Here You Are and Sue Healey will share two of her films, Angels, My Angels, My Glorious Angels, choreographed and performed by Frankenhaeuser, and The Cry of the Whistler, a film about Jane Mortiss—a dancer, artist, naturalist and farmer who battled mental illness through her art. This is the story of her last work.
Stay tuned for further information.
Screenshot showing Anca Frankenhaeuser in a moment from Sue Healey’s short film Angels, My Angels, My Glorius Angels
Press for September 2026
– ‘Choreographer Batchelor investigates Bodenwieser.’ Review of Reviewing a Pedagogy for the Bodenwieser Technique, James Batchelor and colleagues. CBR CityNews, 07 September 2026. Online at this link
– ‘Dancers and audience go ‘All In together.’ Review of All in, Dance Makers Collective and colleagues. CBR CityNews, 25 September 2026. Online at this link
– ‘Vivienne conquers her problems … with cake’. Review of The Whole Cake, Vivienne Rogis. CBR CityNews, 28 September 2026. Online at this link.
My review of All in was published online by CBR CityNews on 25 September 2026, following its opening performance in Canberra on 24 September. The review below is a slightly enlarged version of the CityNews post. Followthis link to the CityNews review.
***********************
24 September 2026. The Theatre, Belconnen Arts Centrre, Canberra
All in from Dance Makers Collective, a Western Sydney-based company directed by Miranda Wheen, was first performed in Sydney in early 2025 and has since been touring to various locations, each time including dancers from various local companies. The Canberra performances over three days included dancers from the First Nations contemporary dance group Project Dust, the classical Indian group Apsaras Arts, and the youth group Quantum Leap Australia. As the name of the work suggests, All in, choreographed by Wheen, focuses on the concept of connections.
After a short introduction in which performers from all groups were briefly seen together, the work proper began with extraordinarily powerful dancing from seven dancers representing Dance Makers Collective. They twisted and turned, jumped and lent from side to side, made absorbing use of arms and hands, and interacted in a choreographic sense with each other. It was a long sequence and the dancers continued to move with intensity while also making ongoing facial contact with the audience. They smiled directly at individual people, inviting us to be involved (in an emotional sense). With the audience seated on two opposite sides of the performing space, the focus of the dancers moved from side to side so all audience members were involved.
Then followed performances by dancers from the Canberra groups, with the strongest input from the Apsaras Arts dancers who work in Bharatanatyam style. Their dancing was exceptional and also took into account the spread of audience members across the space. Their connection to the audience was made with invitingly beautiful eyes and lots of smiles, but also with the strength of their dancing and with the somewhat geometric structure of the work.
There was also a rather hilarious short section when a voice-over spoke about the nature of dance and the role it has in the life of some, including those who find the art form of dance impossible to understand. This section was accompanied by efforts from dancers to show unusual aspects of movement.
But the highlight of the ‘all in’ concept came at the end of the show when the audience was invited to join the dancing. Pretty much the entire audience, young and old, rose from their seats and joined the dancers in the performing space. The space was not huge and was extraordinarily crowded. This section was also very noisy considering the small performing space of the Belco venue. Those features concerned no one, however, except perhaps those who declined to join in the dancing. There were instructions for the people on the floor to follow, which were screened at one end of the theatre: ‘Go left’, ‘go right’, ‘make a circle’, ‘dance with the person next to you’ and so forth. And everyone followed the instructions with enthusiasm.
All in is very much a show that does indeed make connections between those involved, including the audience. But the choreography for the Canberra showing was quite different from what was seen in Sydney. And in particular, in the Sydney showing there were close connections between the dancers from the various groups, which unfortunately did not eventuate to the same extent in Canberra. I suspect this different focus reflected a lack of rehearsal time between the local groups and Wheen and her dancers. All in is nevertheless a show that is worth seeing, and in which it is fun to be involved.
In August an email from James Batchelor arrived in my inbox. It concerned a talk he would be presenting in Canberra at the Street Theatre in conjunction with Ruth Osborne and academics from the Australian National University (ANU). The talk relates to Batchelor’s current work towards a Masters degree at the ANU and is part of a regular Street program with the overarching name ‘Wellspring: Inquiry and Exchange’. Batchelor’s contribution takes place in early September and is entitled: ‘Preserving Australian Modern Dance. Creating a Pedagogy for the Bodenwieser Technique’. Details here.
The beautiful photo that accompaniesthe notification of the event was a surprise, and a very pleasant one. The photo was taken in 1927 and shows a young Gertrud Bodenwieser captured mid-dance. It was a quite new image for me.
Listen at this link.to what Batchelor in his discussion of the forthcoming talk.
The Stellar Company
This year, 2026, marks the 20th anniversary of the Stellar Company, a Canberra-based multi-arts organisation for people of all abilities and backgrounds. It was formed in 2006 by Jolanta Gallagher and used the name Australian Talented Youth Project. Now led by Liz Lea and renamed the Stellar Company it has been invited by Sing Australia to present a series of dance programs at the Sydney Opera House in October as part of Sing Australia’s National Gathering. The event is described by Sing Australia as ‘a three-day celebration of singing, connection, and energy.’
The invitation seems like a wonderful way for the Stellar Company to celebrate 20 years. Read more about the Sing Australia National Gathering at this link.
Sydney Dance Company is celebrating 40 years in its current home: The Wharf at Sydney’s Walsh Bay. Check out the company’s website at this link. Read too the article in the Financial Review.
Coming in September …
As I scanned quickly through the dance events that were coming up next month, two productions immediately grabbed my attention. The first was Alice Topp’s exceptional take on Macbeth, a joint production between Royal New Zealand Ballet and West Australian Ballet (WAB), which I saw in Wellington earlier this year. It opens in Perth with WAB on 4 September. Read my review from New Zealand at this link. Don’t miss it if you happen to be in Perth. Dates at this link.
The second was All in, which will have a Canberra showing at the Belconnen Arts Centre. It comes from Dance Makers Collective (DMC), a ‘community unifier’ (according to current advertising) led by Miranda Wheen. Its Canberra showing features, as well as artists from DMC, input from local groups including Project Dust, Apsaras Arts Canberra, and Quantum Leap Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed All in in Sydney last year. Read my Sydney review at this link and for more information about the Canberra performances read here.
Press for August 2026
– ‘Diamond confronts ageing with unflinching candour.’ Review of Diamond, Liz Lea and colleagues. CBR CityNews, 7 August 2026. Online at this link
Michelle Potter, 31 August 2026
UPDATE 19 September 2026: Comments on this post have been closed due to a large number of attempts to comment from spam outlets.
My review of Diamond was published online by CBR CityNews on 7 August 2026, following its opening performance in Canberra on 6 August The review below is a slightly enlarged version of the CityNews post. Followthis link to the CityNews review.
**********************
6 August 2026. The Q Theatre, Queabeyan
Diamonds are indestructible; people are not. No matter what media statements might and do say about the brilliance and dazzling complexity of womanhood, for me the idea of destructibility, and its opposite, lies at the heart of Liz Lea’s latest show, Diamond.
Diamond is the second part of a projected dance trilogy. The first was Lea’s 2012 show Red, which took us on a journey through Lea’s career as a dancer battling endometriosis. It had an exceptional reception both in Australia and overseas. Diamond takes us through a new, later stage in Lea’s life, one in which she struggled with the physical and emotional issues she encountered during and after menopause.
The dancing in Diamond was distinctively varied. The show opened with Lea standing centre stage in a sparkling costume—one from the series that has been used everywhere, over and over, as advertisement for the show. During this opening sequence, Lea moved slowly with expressive arms, which nevertheless suggested that age had diminished her ability to undertake complex choreography. She danced with stronger movements at other points throughout the show but much of her input involved sitting on a chair, in a simple, black, body-hugging costume, and speaking about her difficulties as she faced the inevitability of living with an ageing body.
She pulled no punches as she explained those difficulties, with frequent reference to vaginal problems and the life consequences that developed as a result of such issues. From this point of view, Diamond was certainly a courageous show.
The most dancerly moments, however, came from the High Kix dancers from Canberra’s Born Funk studios. These dancers are comparatively young women and they looked fabulous in their blue, feathery outfits, and later dressed in white. They consistently moved beautifully, even with what was relatively simple choreography, and their role in the show allowed us to look back at Lea’s early career as a cabaret dancer.
Then, towards the end of the production, dancers from Canberra Dance Theatre’s GOLD company took the stage, adding dancers older than Lea to the situation. They moved around the stage making attractive groupings rather than dancing anything complex. They too looked fabulous in decorative black and white costumes, including somewhat startling hats. There were even two men involved.
Diamond was stunningly put together as a multi-faceted production. It had exceptional lighting by Karen Norris, as usually happens when Norris is involved. Her input into Diamond was engaging from the beginning, even on the empty stage before the actual performance had started, to the end where an object was placed on the floor and sent out diamond-like rays of light into the auditorium. The diamond rather than the person lives on.
There was also some strikingly structured film input from cinematographer James Hiscutt. It included an absolutely absorbing section where Lea appeared on the backcloth/screen as autumn leaves fell around her body. It was beautifully related to a story Lea spoke about in relation to a request she had from a person who was using her house as a B&B guest. ‘May I sweep up your autumn leaves?’, he asked.
But as a whole Diamond was a production that opened up an area of a woman’s life that perhaps needs not to be made so public, or not with so much confronting speech. Dance can do it without words, or at least on this occasion with fewer words. Then perhaps I am ageing as I disliked the way the subject was constantly and unnecessarily frank in its text? Just dance!
Who knows what the third part of the trilogy will involve?
My review of Mettle was published online by CBR CityNews on 25 July 2026, following its opening performance in Canberra on 24 July. The review below is a slightly enlarged version of the CityNews post. Followthis link to the CityNews review.
**************************
24 July, 2026. The Vault, Dairy Road Precinct, Fyshwick (Canberra)
‘It’s time to test your mettle,’ says media advertising for the latest production from Quantum Leap Australia. Mettle, the production, had choreography by Alice Lee Holland and Jack Ziesing, with a soundscape by Sascha Budimski, visuals from Creswick Collective and lighting from Holland, Zeising, Ninian Donald and Owen Davis.
The venue was The Vault, located in the Dairy Road Precinct in Fyshwick, an industrial area of Canberra. The Vault is often referred to as a ‘cave’ or ‘concrete bunker’ as a result of its somewhat vast, windowless space without any theatrical trappings. In fact, it was originally a space used to store coins, and later beer, and it has become an ideal space for immersive productions with the audience usually surrounded on three sides by various aspects of the production.
But rather than having a strongly felt immersive aspect to it, the production of Mettle was more like watching dancing on a knife’s edge. While the soundscape, the lighting and the changing visuals were there to be noticed, the focus was more on what would happen next. How would the dancers manage what seemed from the beginning to be a challenging situation for them?
Thirteen dancers of varying ages began quietly in a line at the back of the performing space and walked slowly forward. But one by one they fell to the floor and began twisting and turning, standing and falling, separately and then together in various combinations. The choreography was highly complex and mostly fast-moving with some sections quite acrobatic and others, such as movements of the fingers, quite small but clear and intense.
Groupings in the early stages looked unstructured as bodies seemed to fall on top of each other in a jumble. Some of the connections between dancers, such as a duet between the two male members of the cast, even looked full of hostility.
As the work moved along, however, there were moments when the jumbled look gave way to a structure that was more ordered and even a little symmetrical. As the end approached, the choreography continued its speed and power and, after a solo by one dancer, a stillness as we had seen at the beginning returned. Had the mettle been tested and had resilience emerged?
Costumes by Aleisa Jelbart were the strongest collaborative element. Jelbart had created thirteen different designs, one for each dancer. They consisted of black and grey items—tops, pants (some short and tight, some long and loose), socks and leggings, arm coverings and other elements. Some items of costuming looked grungy and torn, others fashionable in a present-day style. They added an excellent element to the production and to the diversity of the dancers, a diversity of age, size and experience.
Mettle was a production that must have been quite exhausting for the dancers. It was an hour of almost continuous movement from every dancer. They attacked the choreography, with its continuing and spectacular twists and turns, and its ongoing interpersonal connections, with determination and skill. They demonstrated clearly that dancing on a knife’s edge has a strength and ultimately an influence on an audience.
My review of Sphere was published online by Canberra CityNews on 15 May 2026, following its opening performance in Canberra. The review below is a slightly enlarged version of the CityNews post. Followthis link to the CityNews review.
**************************
14 May 2026. The Vault, Dairy Road Precinct, Fyshwick ACT
The Vault is a concrete bunker that used to be a storage depot for coins and then beer kegs. It is a blank space, without windows, without pillars and without any decorative elements. It is located in Canberra’s Dairy Road Precinct on the edges of the industrial area of Fyshwick. It can perhaps be described as an example of Canberra’s brutalist architecture.
Sphere is a work, according to Alison Plevey founder of Australian Dance Party, that focuses on two meanings of the word ‘sphere’, that of aspects of the universe and, as well, the sphere of influence of dance. It was also created in celebration of Australian Dance Party’s tenth year of existence and, given its wide focus and its presentation in the Vault, which on the surface is not a hugely theatrical space, it is perhaps a little surprising that it was as immersive as it was.
On entering the space for the performance, it was noticeable that seating was spread out and arranged irregularly—no rows or tiers of seats, just a few simple benches and a few small rows of regular seating scattered across the area. There were spaces too for audience members to seat themselves on the floor. We were invited, as the production began, to move around the space as the work unfolded and, as the desire took us, to be closer to some aspects of the performance.
The overall production consisted of several sections. There were group moments, including the opening section led by Jahna Lugnan. This was followed by a very physical duet, a solo or two, including a powerful performance by one of the male dancers, and a few more group sections, all taking place in different areas of the Vault’s space.
I am not sure whether Sphere was specifically choreographed or whether it was largely improvised movement. The character of the movement was, however, distinctive of the work of Australian Dance Party. There was a strong emphasis on fluidity of the upper body and, when working in groups, the dancers moved together often with bodies twisted around each other. Unusual shapes developed.
But what made the work so immersive, was the magnificent video imagery that covered the walls of the Vault as the dancing moved ahead. Created by videographer Liam Budge of Creswick Collective, the imagery was largely shot in a very Australian landscape of eucalyptus trees, with the vision including shots of dancers performing amongst the quite magnificent trees. One section, however, was shot to include graffiti images found in a more residential part of Canberra.
As it happened, the invitation to the audience to move through the space and get closer to some sections was not taken up to any great extent. I didn’t move around and to tell the truth I’m not really sure if moving around the space would have added to my feeling for the nature of Sphere. But I was fascinated by a quite young boy who did get up from his seat and try out a bit of dance for himself.
While immersive was the word that kept coming to mind as the work progressed, I also felt there was a calming quality to the overall production. Perhaps it was brought on by the lighting design, which was quite dark, apart from the changing, well-lit areas in which the dancing itself was taking place. It was at times difficult to distinguish the dancers from the audience as the performers, when not dancing, were sitting in various spots within the space rather than being hidden in the wings of a more usual performing space. It seemed to break down, in a positive way, differences between people.
Sphere, with original music from Sia Ahmad, was an exceptional and unusual tenth birthday event.
The opening of 2026 Dance Week from Ausdance ACT took place on top of Canberra’s Mount Ainslie on 29 April, international Dance Day. Founded in 1982 by the International Theatre Institute, International Dance Day takes place annually on the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810). Noverre is generally regarded as the founder of modern ballet.
The Canberra event began with a Welcome to Country delivered by Ngunnawal elder Aunty Serena Williams, who also prepared and administered the smoking ceremony. The International Dance Day message for 2026 was written by Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite. It was read to the assembled audience on Mount Ainslie by Elizabeth Dalman. Follow this link to read the message.
The official introductory messages, which also included a welcome from ACT MLA Caitlin Tough, were followed by a solo dance by Liz Lea from her forthcoming production Diamond, and then a group dance by a range of Canberra-based performers, also a sneak peek at what the Diamond presentation might look like. All dancers were spectacularly dressed and Diamond, due to take the stage in August, promises much!
A few changes …
April was filled with news of changes to the careers of several leading figures in the Australian dance world. A move by Callum Linnane, exceptional principal artist with the Australian Ballet, was the first to be brought to my attention. Linnane will leave the Australian Ballet in June to take up a role as principal artist with Hamburg Ballet.
I have admired Linnane’s dancing for some time. For more about him, and my thoughts on his dancing on this website, see this link.
Raewyn Hill is moving on from her position as artistic director of Perth’s Co3 Contemporary Dance, a company she has led since its inception in 2014. She will remain with the company, which is presently searching for a new director, until the end of 2026. It is not yet clear how Hill’s future will unfold.
Then Kyle Page and Amber Haines, co-directors of Townsville-based Dancenorth, will also leave the company at the end of 2026. Their futures are also not clear at this stage.
Vale
It was sad to hear that Ben Stevenson had died in Fort Worth late in March.
In Australia Stevenson’s choreography has been brought to our attention by Li Cunxin, who worked with Stevenson after arriving in America from China when Stevenson was directing Houston Ballet (1976-2003). Li brought Stevenson to Australia on occasions to stage several of his works for Queensland Ballet. Stevenson’s productions of Nutcracker and Cinderella were especially popular.
From a personal point of view I continue to recall walking down a street in Dallas, Texas, one Sunday afternoon in 2011 and seeing two tutu-clad dancers walking along the same street. They were on a mission to advertise Stevenson’s then forthcoming presentation of Nutcracker for Texas Ballet Theater, which he directed after leaving Houston Ballet.
After my visit to Archives Fine Books in Charlotte Street, Brisbane, in October last year (2025), when I discovered their range of second hand dance books, I had another opportunity to visit the shop after seeing Queensland Ballet’s presentation of Messa da Requiem in March this year (2026). I headed, of course, straight to the dance section and was pleased to find another book that was not part of my collection: Diaghilev. Creator of the Ballets Russes, edited by Ann Rodicek with an extensive prologue by Rodicek and contributions from six authors. It was a book published to accompany an exhibition held at the Barbican Art Gallery in London in 1996.
Page of costume designs by Nikolai Roerich for The Rite of Spring. 1913
Without wanting to diminish in any way the strength of the prologue and written articles, what especially attracted me were the many images of the items that had been on display in the exhibition. In particular there were a number of costume designs that I had not seen before (see above). It was also fascinating to see portraits of those associated with the company (not necessarily dancers although they were there of course). A fascinating new look at Diaghilev and the work of his collaborators! And such a great second hand bookshop.
Press for April 2026
– ‘Aladdin retold through a ‘minimalistic’. Review of Aladdin. Victorian State Ballet. CBR City News, 24 April 2026. Online at this link.
– ‘Elegant dancing that was hard to see’. Salut! Baroque. CBR City News, 25 April 2026. Online at this link.
Perusing the Canberra program for Australian Dance Week I was instantly surprised by news of the opening celebration, which will take place on International Dance Day, 29 April. Ausdance ACT has programmed this event to occur on top of Mount Ainslie, a beautiful spot whose current vista would thrill the designers of Canberra, Walter Burley Griffin and his partner, Marion Mahony Griffin.
But delving further into the choice of an outdoor venue, Cathy Adamek, Executive Director of Ausdance ACT, explained a little about why Mount Ainslie was chosen. There are a few reasons but importantly, according to Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Serena, Mount Ainslie figures significantly in the cultural background of the Indigenous people who inhabited the area long before it became Canberra. Aunty Serena will deliver the Welcome to Country at the opening. You may hear more from her about Mount Ainslie’s significance.
Here is what the program tells us of the event:
Join us on top of Mount Ainslie for International Dance Day as we celebrate 2026 Australian Dance Week. Hosted by Ausdance ACT Executive Director Dr Cathy Adamek featuring a special appearance by the Diamonds of Dance Week! Dress in your sparkly best and join us for a celebratory picnic. Traditional welcome and smoking ceremony by Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Serena from Yukkumbruk Dreaming. To be officially opened by Minister for the Arts Michael Pettersson MLA.
But to the dance component for the week. There is, as is the usual practice, many Canberra dance schools offering free classes over the week for prospective students to try out various approaches to dance education. There is also a variety of workshops for beginners to professionals in dance-related activities and projects. What stands out from an overall look at the program is the diversity of dance that characterises the Canberra dance scene. Dance Week in Canberra includes items focusing on ballet and contemporary dance as well as folk dance, hip hop activities, street performances, dance as a meditative activity, and so much more.
Also featured in the 2026 program is the work of Floeur Alder and her colleagues. Alder does not live or work on a regular basis in the ACT but she has a long-standing connection with the city. She is the daughter of Lucette Aldous and Alan Alder, both of whom, after exceptional careers as performers across the world, were responsible for helping develop the tertiary dance component of the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Alan Alder was born in Canberra, took his early dance training there and went to Canberra High School. There are still various relatives of the Alder family living in Canberra so it is a pleasure to have his daughter as part of the 2026 ACT Dance Week program.
The film POINTE. Dancing on a Knife’s Edge, which focuses on Alder’s recovery from a brutal knife attack that left her badly injured, will be shown as part of the week’s activities. Adamek was especially touched by the way dance was part of Alder’s recovery process and tells me the film ‘shows how dance can be a personal story’ and that ‘it indicates that dance can be used as a form of therapy’. In addition, Alder will give a solo performance of Djilba a work created by Alder and artist Virginia Ward that combines dance, poetry and imagery.
See more about Djilba, including a trailer and a demonstration by Alder of a particular section of her choreography, at this link. Alder will also give a special class that features Boris Kniaseff’s floor barre technique, a technique admired and taught earlier by her mother Lucette Aldous.
The 2026 ACT Dance Week is brimming with surprising activities. Don’t miss them. See the full program at this link.
And below is the view from Mount Ainslie where the opening event will be held. Follow Anzac Parade from the War Memorial in the foreground, over Lake Burley Griffin to Old Parliament House then on to New Parliament House. Other significant Canberra buildings (including the High Court and the National Library) are in the image and forming the background is the beautiful Brindabella mountain range.
My review of Impulse was published online by Canberra CityNews on 15 March 2026. The review below is a slightly enlarged version of the CityNews post.Here is a link to the CityNews review.
***************************
Australian Dance Party, Canberra’s professional dance company, is never one to perform in what we might call a conventional performance space. I don’t recall, for example, ever seeing the company dance in a proscenium-style theatre. The company’s most recent presentation, Impulse, sits centre-stage in that performance model. It is a free show incorporating the creation and improvisation of music, dance and visual arts, with its opening show taking place outdoors in the Woden Town Square on a beautiful, cloudless Canberra autumn day.
The dancers (there were six of them) performed on what looked like a Tarkett flooring of grass (synthetic I assume), and were surrounded by a mixed audience of dance fans and photographers and artists recording the performance in their own unique manner. Two musicians sat on a raised platform, each on a separate side of the performing space, working with a variety of electronic resources to produce a soundscape.
The show began with a single dancer creating a fluid but grounded series of movements, often with her back towards what appeared to be the front of the performing area. Slowly five other dancers joined her at various times, sometimes dancing separately, sometimes as a group. At times they seemed to be copying each other’s steps, working in unison or cascading out from each other. Sometimes one dancer would take a rest. Sometimes two or three dancers would separate themselves from the others and create a quite different set of movements. There were times too when the dancers performed using stretches of tape to join bodies or to stretch bodies into varied shapes.
All performers, both dancers and musicians, were a pleasure to watch, especially as the show progressed and as a certain nervousness dissolved at what was the first performance of an unusual work. But for me it was Jahna Lugnan who really stood out. Her freedom of movement and absolute involvement in the performance was exceptional. And she scarcely stopped to rest.
Costumes were a mix of styles but there was a certain unity with three main colours being represented—orange, pink and black. It was Lugnan who wore the most interesting looking costume—beautifully cut orange shorts and a very attractively designed top in pink and orange. None of this is surprising given that Lugnan’s career to date has included modelling at an international level.
The soundscape was dramatic and had a definite contemporary feel. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of sound production happened when two dancers joined one of the musicians and used a microphone attached in some manner to the musician’s equipment. Each dancer took a turn in speaking into the microphone. It was not clear what they actually said but somehow whatever they muttered or whispered was translated into a loud non-human sound.
Impulse, which celebrates Australian Dance Party’s tenth year of existence, was quite fascinating in many ways. It lasted for almost an hour, but the time just sped along.
A final show will take place on March 21 at the Gungahlin Town Square as part of the Gungahlin Festival. A pop-up exhibition is also being arranged in the future to feature the work created by the photographers and visual artists, which emerged as their reaction to Impulse.
