As the age-old saying goes, “turn your broken heart into art” – and that’s exactly what Australian Dance Theatre’s (ADT) Artistic Director Daniel Riley did, following the results from the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.
“'Marrow' is a work made in response to the unsuccessful referendum in 2023, and as a First Nations Artistic Director, and artist, and human, I was really devastated and heartbroken that we ended up that way,” Riley explains, while on a break from rehearsals of 'Marrow'.
“I wanted to create something that spoke to the possibility of ‘where are we as a nation and where are we going?’, so 'Marrow' is kind of this course correction in the way I was thinking about it. Who are we? Where do we come from? And how do we reconcile with who we are in regards to our national identity? Do we want to be divided and always at each other’s throats about our history and who we are as a nation. . . Not only internally, but looking at how we are seen by our international friends and allies.”
Riley, who is ADT’s first First Nations Artistic Director, premiered 'Marrow' at Adelaide Festival in 2024 to rave reviews, but he felt it was a poignant time to revisit the production in 2025 as part of ADT’s 60th anniversary season, and fittingly in a year that coincided with a federal election.
Image © Morgan Sette
Riley hopes 'Marrow' will push conversations forward and inspire people to seek, and fight for, change.
“The next time we get to a referendum, I – and the 40 per cent of the nation who voted yes – want to see it swing the other way. As First Nations people and artists, we are asking you to meet us where we are at and not in an aggressive way. We just want to share and we want to be respectful but sometimes that respect is not reciprocated. We want to see it change and see kindness and an open heart and mind to our culture – a culture that is the longest living culture on the planet.”
In addition to its powerful message, Riley says 'Marrow' will immediately pull audiences in with commanding soundscape, set design and of course choreography: “I wouldn’t say there is necessarily a narrative, but there’s an energy that pulls the work forward. From the first ten seconds, you’re grabbed by the sound and by the visuals. There’s six dancers on stage, two smoke machines and an empty black flag. . . It’s quite contained and it's got an underground, subterranean feel to it. It’s dynamic, it’s beautiful and lush at the same time.”
Image © Morgan Sette
When curating ADT’s 60th anniversary season, Riley wanted to present productions that paid tribute to the company’s heritage, while simultaneously pushing forward. “We premiered a new work at the beginning of this year with the Adelaide Festival called 'A Quiet Language', which unpacked the first ten years of our company and we worked with our Founding Director, Elizabeth Cameron Dalman. We made a new work inspired by the spirit of ADT at the time that also spoke of the times we are living in now.”
“At the end of the year, we're presenting the world premiere of a new work, 'Two Blood', which is being co-made by myself, Jasmin Sheppard – a Tagalaka woman – and S. Shakthidharan, who is a Sri Lankan writer and dramaturg. That will premiere in October, in Adelaide. It’s a big year, it’s not every year that the oldest contemporary dance company in the country turns 60. We are packing it full of new work, national touring and engaging with our audiences around the country. We also hosted our very first First Nations dance intensive.”
Image © Morgan Sette
Riley credits ADT’s commitment to being forward-thinking as a key part of the company’s success. “ADT has always been at the tip of the sphere, the elder of contemporary dance, and has pushed the form forward and conversations forward. While I’m here as the first First Nations Artistic Director of this company and of any small to medium dance company in Australian contemporary dance history, I want ADT to continue to create cultural change in the stories we tell.”
“Under every Artistic Director, ADT has pushed the form and the company forward in different ways. We continue to lead from the front and continue to be the tip of the sphere with how we engage with our audiences and what work we make, what that work is ultimately saying, and how it connects to the social, cultural, and political atmosphere that we live with here and exist with here in Australia.”
This show is proudly part of Blakout, a bold celebration of First Nations talent, shining a spotlight on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from Reconciliation Week to NAIDOC Week at Monash University Performing Arts Centres. It's the only performance of 'Marrow' in Victoria.
'Marrow' plays at Alexander Theatre (Monash University Performing Arts Centres/MPAC), Clayton, 6 June.
