Free open-air dance performance on the Opera House Monumental Steps

The Sydney Opera House today announced a free site-specific work, ENCOUNTER SYDNEY, on the Opera House Forecourt this May, following a highly-acclaimed world premiere at Sydney Festival in 2020.

Enabled by the NSW Government initiative Culture Up Late, this fleeting and live dance work has been adapted for the Opera House Forecourt at dusk. Beneath the famous white sails, young dancers perform to a powerful soundtrack by the Western Sydney Youth Orchestra, in an exploration of the unrelenting spirit of youth.

Directed by dancer, choreographer and curator Emma Saunders:

ENCOUNTER SYDNEY has been developed in collaboration with FORM Dance Projects and award-winning Australian artists, including writer Felicity Castagna and composers Amanda Brown (The Go-Betweens) and Jodi Phillis (The Clouds). Performed by young dancers from the Western Sydney-based WE ARE HERE Company, this exciting new iteration of the original 2020 work is part of the Opera House’s Un Wrapped program, which presents new and risk-taking work from independent artists and invites the public to celebrate the energy of the next generation.

Sydney Opera House Director of Programming and UnWrapped Curator Fiona Winning.

ENCOUNTER SYDNEY is an invigorating work that responds to the physical site and our contemporary world through movement, music and spoken word. Watch as they run, climb and make sense of where we are. Now you see them, now you don’t. Thanks to the NSW Government, this energetic performance puts the next generation of dancers front and centre using the Opera House’s sprawling steps as their stage

NSW Minister for the Arts Ben Franklin MLC:

I’m thrilled Culture Up Late is enabling this innovative presentation on the Opera House’s Monumental Steps, one of our city’s grandest stages. ENCOUNTER SYDNEY will give the public a new way to enjoy the bustling and creative spirit of Sydney’s nightlife, with one of the most picturesque harbours in the world as a backdrop.

ENCOUNTER SYDNEY is proudly funded by the NSW Government through the Culture Up Late initiative and is presented as part of the Opera House’s UnWrapped program.

Wesley Enoch, Festival Director, Sydney Festival (2017-2021):

ENCOUNTER demonstrated the best of humanity. The whole experience was a huge achievement and added to the notion that art can change the world, lift us up and give us a positive view of the community we inhabit. We need more moments of ENCOUNTER.

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Season Details

Venue: Monumental Steps| Sydney Opera House
Date: 18-21 May 2022

For more information click HERE