Summer is storm season and on the horizon clouds are gathering, pushing an unstoppable force of nature towards Brisbane.
In February 2017, Brisbane will experience a deluge of spectacular dance when it hosts the inaugural SUPERCELL Festival Of Contemporary Dance, bringing together performers from around Australia and the world.
SUPERCELL is co-founded and curated by Kate Usher and Glyn Roberts, and was conceived during a nasty tropical storm.
Like the storms themselves, the festival is a collision of multiple particles which creates a ferocious and spectacular display that perfectly encapsulates Brisbane’s unique climate.
“We were inspired to create a critical mass around the exciting activities already happening and to establish a contemporary dance festival that's progressive, exciting and excellent,” Kate and Glyn say.
“[It is] grounded and energised by the inter-connectivity between local and visiting dance artists and multiple audiences, whether it’s the dance-in-your-loungeroom type of attendee or those that live and breathe it every day.”
The 2017 launch programme presents an impressive selection of high-calibre contemporary performances by Australian and international dancers.
Australian talent includes Gold Coast company The Farm, Melbourne duo and this year’s Keir Choreographic Award finalists Sarah Aiken and Rebecca Jensen, while Sydney’s Amrita Hepi and New Zealand’s Jahra Wasasala forge a trans-pacific partnership in their show, ‘Passing’.
'The Pearl River Delta Dance'
The international roster features Switzerland’s Simone Truong who will be bringing her vibrant company to perform ‘(To) Come And See’, described as “a real-time process of working through the personal and collective eroticism”.
Employing the Freudian concept of ‘working through’ from the field of psychoanalysis, the piece is choreographed and performed by Simone, along with Anna Massoni, Eilit Marom, Elpida Orfanidou and Adina Secretan.
Direct from the Guangdong Dance Festival comes some of China’s most progressive talent emerging from the Pearl River Delta region.
The Guangdong Modern Dance Company will perform an iteration of the full-length work ‘Piece One’ by Li Pian Pian and Tan Yuan Bo.
Two companies from Macau will also perform: Max Dance Hall with ‘The Hands’ and Stella & Artists with two pieces ‘Four Legs Is Good, Two Legs Is Better’ and ‘The Sun Rises As Usual’.
The programme also features UK/Australian collaboration ‘Person/All: A Triple Bill’ which includes three works from Bridget Fiske and Joseph Lau, ‘Inner Terra’, ‘The Age Of Ledger’ and ‘They Gather’, with more acts to be announced.
A series of informative workshops will also be on offer.
SUPERCELL has been designed as both a showcase of talent and an opportunity to nurture and incubate the emerging generation of performers and choreographers in order to support local dance talent.
“We are thrilled to work with SUPERCELL to give time towards cultivating choreographers and seeding new ideas. Working alongside a dedicated presenter to actively support new work in Australia is setting a standard of best practice,” Co-Artistic Director for The Farm Gavin Webber says. “Brisbane and the Gold Coast are thriving with fantastic artists and the festival provides the opportunity to gather this energy into a driving force.”
