120 Birds: Edinburgh Fringe hit comes to Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres

120 Birds was a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe and now for a very limited time this celebration of dance legend Anna Pavlova will be enchanting audiences at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta.

120 Birds explores the daring rise and fall of an Australian dance company in the 1920s and 30s. It’s all glamour and toughness for this fictional ballet company, formed in homage to Anna Pavlova after the ballerina’s famous Australia visit. Live performances are mixed with vintage film footage.

Choreographed by Liz Lea and featuring dancers Natalie Ayton, Melanie Faydherbede, Liz Lea, Maudave and Miranda Wheen, this is a highly textured performance that brings to life the tango, Charleston and waltz with vintage costumes and archival footage from the National Film and Sound Archive to boot. Costume design is inspired by the enigmatic Australian artist Florence Broadhurst.

Choreographer Liz Lea was in 2003 the recipient of a fellowship from the Australian Choreographic Centre and an AHRB research grant from Roehampton University, UK. In that year she also received awards for her solo Inland at the 6th Solo-Tanz Competition, Germany, and was short-listed for the Jerwood Choreography Awards, UK. In 2009 she was an associate artist at QL2, Centre for Dance, Canberra and pursued her research into Anna Pavlova in Asia at the Australian National Library and National Film and Sound Archive where she received a Fellowship.

This performance, where history meets invented history, is sure to an outrageous and beautiful treat.

120 Birds
Riverside Theatres, Cnr Church & Market Sts, Parramatta
Date: May 23 – 25
Bookings: Riverside Box Office on 8839 3399 or www.riversideparramatta.com.au
*transaction fees apply