[Melbourne] Australia and New Zealand’s most dynamic dance voices unite for two powerful weeks at Arts Centre Melbourne
Australia and New Zealand’s most dynamic dance voices unite for two powerful weeks at Arts Centre Melbourne
The Australian Ballet is proud to announce the return of DanceX, a festival spanning over two weeks that celebrates the extraordinary depth, range, and diversity of dance across Australia and New Zealand.
Curated by The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director David Hallberg, DanceX will take place from 8 - 19 October, across three venues at Arts Centre Melbourne: the Playhouse theatre, Fairfax Studio and The Show Room. The opening week at the Playhouse theatre is generously supported by Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Image supplied by the Australian Ballet
DanceX is a curated celebration of dance in all its forms from contemporary to classical, and experimental to traditional, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience the vitality and vision of the region’s top companies and independent artists all in one place. It is the only festival of its kind in Australia and New Zealand, uniting leading creative voices from across the dance sector in a single, thrilling festival.
Following the success of the inaugural DanceX in 2022, this year’s festival brings together 14 of Australia and New Zealand’s most acclaimed dance companies and choreographers, including The Australian Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Bangarra Dance Theatre, West Australian Ballet, Stephanie Lake Company, Restless Dance Theatre, Dancenorth, NT Dance Company, and choreographers Timothy Harbour, Lucy Guerin, Jenni Large, Jayden Lewis Wall, Melissa Pham and Melanie Lane.
The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director David Hallberg said, “I’m incredibly proud to be bringing DanceX back in 2025. This festival is a bold celebration of the extraordinary creativity that defines our dance community.”
“DanceX unites a broad spectrum of dance across Australia and New Zealand, from First Nations, contemporary, classical, independent and institutional. The companies and artists represented this year are only a small example of the rich community that defines the dance world around us. It’s a rare opportunity for audiences to experience the diversity, power and artistic vitality of the many cultures and creative voices that shape our stages in this part of the world,” added Hallberg.
Originally created as a one-time post-pandemic celebration, DanceX was designed to bring together some of the most significant voices in dance from across the region. The overwhelmingly positive response highlighted the ongoing need for a gathering like this leading to its return in 2025. The Australian Ballet is proud to stand alongside such incredible companies and artists, and to host and to help spotlight the extraordinary talent shaping the future of dance.
DanceX is generously enabled by Lady Potter AC CMRI and The David Hallberg Fund for Artistic Aspiration, The Hansen-Little Foundation, and Linda Herd & The Linda Herd Fund for Contemporary Work, and Creative Australia, the Australian Government’s principal arts investment and advisory body.
For more information and to purchase tickets please visit: https://australianballet.com.au/dancex-2025-program
PROGRAM DETAILS:
Bangarra Dance Theatre will present excerpts from Yuldea, a powerful work honouring the Anangu people of the Great Victorian Desert and their connection to land and sky. This marks Frances Rings’ first creation as Artistic Director, reflecting her dedication to preserving the history and heritage of Indigenous stories through dance.
Dancenorth Australia expands the program’s physical and emotional depth with excerpts from Wayfinder, a transcendent work where dance, music, and visual art collide to celebrate joy, human connection, and the power of collective experience.
Gary Lang NT Dance Company, A haunting duet of loss, return and transformation, The Other Side of Me follows the spirit journey home of an Aboriginal man who died in custody. Choreographed and directed by acclaimed Larrakia artist Gary Lang, the work unfolds through intimate, physically charged partnering bodies folding, lifting, and leaning in continuous dialogue. A collaboration between Gary Lang NT Dance Company and Northumbria University, produced BlakDance.
Jenni Large’s Wet Hard Long pushes endurance and resilience to the edge, subverting traditional narratives of sex, power and feminine identity through intense physicality and polished visual design. An extension of her sell-out, five-star season at Dancehouse, this work offers a raw and unflinching portrayal of the femme body under patriarchal scrutiny.
Restless Dance Theatre, whose ensemble is made up of neurodiverse dancers and dancers with disability, present their acclaimed work Seeing Through Darkness — a compelling response to the work of Georges Rouault. First performed in 2021 at the Art Gallery of Soth Australia and been screened across the globe, this powerful piece explores perception and the beauty of the imperfect body. Through boundary-pushing artistry and industry-standard training, Restless is forging vital professional pathways for Australian dancers, redefining what is possible in contemporary dance.
Stephanie Lake Company presents Auto Cannibal, a riveting work that positively crackles with energy and exactitude. Through intense physicality and innovative choreography, the piece is an ode to re-using, re-purposing and re-invigorating.
The Australian Ballet takes the stage with Ground Control, Lucy Guerin’s investigation into the relationship between gravity and air, contrasting ballet’s lightness with its underlying physical power in a dynamic push and pull where body meets thought. The Company also presents a new commission by acclaimed choreographer Timothy Harbour, known for his emotionally rich and inventive works, alongside Allegro Brillante, George Balanchine’s exuberant ballet set to Tchaikovsky, performed by dancers from both The Australian Ballet and The Australian Ballet School.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet presents Te Ao Mārama, a striking creation by Moss Te Ururangi Patterson (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) inspired by haka and powered by the formidable strength of the company’s male dancers. This work is a powerful addition to the RNZB’s repertoire that resonates deeply in Aotearoa and beyond.
West Australian Ballet presents Extension to Boom, a 2024 commission choreographed by George Williamson. This expansive, high-energy work features six couples and demands precise musicality, offering a visceral exploration of movement, geometry, and physical expression.
Dream Swamp by Melanie Lane will transport young audiences into an absurd and uncanny universe of magic, adventure, and transformation. In a collision of sound, colour, texture, and movement, two dancers shape-shift, cast spells, time travel and defy gravity, transporting young people to a place where they can imagine their own bodies as a site of fantasy.
Flesh Vessel, choreographed and performed by Jayden Lewis Wall and Melissa Pham, is a rigorously crafted investigation of embodiment and relational presence. Joined on stage by Ashley McLellan, the trio explore the body as a dynamic site of communication through precise physical negotiation and sustained mutual attention.
Program Schedule:
Week 1: 8 - 11 October
Royal New Zealand Ballet, Te Ao Mārama
The Australian Ballet and Lucy Guerin, Ground Control
Restless Dance Theatre, Seeing Through Darkness
Dancenorth Australia, Wayfinder (Excerpt)
The Australian Ballet and The Australian Ballet School, Allegro Brillante
Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Jenni Large, Wet Hard Long
Jayden Lewis Wall and Melissa Pham, Flesh Vessel
Week 2: 15 - 19 October
Bangarra Dance Theatre, Yuldea (Excerpts)
The Australian Ballet and Timothy Harbour, New Work by Tim Harbour
West Australian Ballet, Extension to Boom
Stephanie Lake Company, Auto Cannibal
NT Dance Company, The Other Side of MeMelanie Lane, Dream Swamp
For more information and to purchase tickets please visit: https://australianballet.com.au/dancex-2025-program