Desire, mortality and the ‘lucky’ number seven take centre stage at UMAC

Lucy Guerin Inc (LGI) and University of Melbourne Arts and Culture (UMAC) today confirmed PIECES 2024, a highly anticipated showcase of innovative contemporary dance featuring three new genre-pushing works by visionary Australian choreographers: Joel Bray, Tra Mi Dinh, and Alisdair Macindoe presented in its largest-ever format at UMAC from 28 to 30 November.

Established by renowned contemporary choreographer Lucy Guerin in 2005 as a platform for artists to experiment and take creative risks, the initiative has continued to garner momentum and notoriety as one of Australia’s most highly anticipated artistic presentations.

Creating bold new dance experiences, PIECES 2024 features three distinctive choreographers, co commissioned by LGI and UMAC to develop and present work that offers a unique innovative artistic viewpoint.

Joel Bray – Swallow:

On his quest to age disgracefully, Joel Bray’s audacious new solo work Swallow flits between desire, his Wiradjuri identity and Ornithography. To music by Marco Cher-Gibard and with Bray exploring a new choreography of dainty eroticism, Swallow ruffles feathers in this raw and provocative, yet poetic, performance.

Tra Mi Dinh – Seven dances for two people:

Tra Mi Dinh’s Seven dances for two people, is a choreographic exploration of ‘lucky’ number seven. Referencing moments within our everyday life to revered rituals across cultures, this duet devotes itself to the rhythm and symbolism of ‘seven’. Performing with Rachel Coulson, Dinh investigates the religious and mystical properties of the ‘lucky’ number across seven short pieces, scored by Tilman Robinson.

Alisdair Macindoe – “OK, bye!”

Green Room Award, Helpmann Award, and New York ‘Bessie’ recipient Alisdair Macindoe presents “OK, bye!”, a duet between dancers Rachel Coulson and Geoffrey Watson. Weaving together themes of fragility, loss and transcendence, this intimate work is underpinned by Macindoe’s personal connection with his mother, xanya mamunya, a concert harp player, whose work spans 40 years of teaching and performing.

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Season Details

Venue: Union Theatre
Date: 28 – 30 Nov 2024

For more information click HERE

 Photo Credit: Gregory Lorenzutti