Music and theatre have always been intrinsically linked. Performance art is the most compelling way to visually manifest the emotional power of music. Over the course of history, we have seen many ambitious crossovers between the worlds of performance art and alternative music. From The Who, The National, to Kanye West and Sia, so many of the greats have incorporated elements of performance art into their creative output.
To celebrate the Sydney Dance Company’s upcoming show Forever & Ever we’re taking a look at the most exciting crossover moments between alternative music, contemporary dance and theatre.
Frame of Mind
Frame of Mind is the brainchild of choreographer Rafael Bonachela and musician Bryce Dessner, lead guitarist of legendary indie rock band The National.
Frame of Mind is a stellar production that masterfully explores the human psyche. Combining Bonachela’s superb choreography with Dessner’s fervent, alternative, rock music, the performance reflects on three different emotional conditions that the choreographer and the dancers have experienced.
Frame of Mind is the first performance from the Sydney Dance Company’s critically lauded double bill Forever & Ever. The score will be performed by the Australian String Quartet.
Francesca Hiew a violinist for the Australian String Quartet has stated ‘Cross-artform collaborations are fuel to the expressive power of live performance. We’re thrilled to be working with Sydney Dance Company to present Rafael Bonachela’s work Frame of Mind, through the stunning music of Bryce Dessner.’
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Love this Giant tour: St. Vincent & David Byrne
For two of the most ingenious musicians around, collaborating on a project was never going to be anything other than spectacular. The ‘Love this Giant’ tour saw St. Vincent, David Byrne and their brass ensemble incorporate complex choreography with their live performance.
David Byrne has never shied away from incorporating dance into his live performance. Who could ever forget the iconic Talking Heads live-concert film Stop Making Sense? The synchronised dancing during their performance Life During Wartime is entrenched in our collective memories forever.
Forever & Ever
Forever & Ever is the opus of internationally acclaimed choreographer Antony Hamilton. In this production, Hamilton has teamed up with his brother Julian Hamilton of The Presets, together creating a bold, enrapturing exhibition of contemporary dance at its most glorious.
Forever & Ever will have it’s world premiere later this month with Sydney Dance Company, marking the first time Anthony Hamilton has worked with the Sydney Dance Company.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Anthony Hamilton has explained that within this performance he has attempted to capture the prevalent and free-flowing anxiety within society.
Hamilton has detailed, “I love this idea that, no matter how much you try and curate your own life, or your own interests … if you’re on any kind of social media, you’re constantly wondering whether you’re missing out. I kind of love the anxiety of that. I’m trying to put a bit of that anxiety into this piece. The dancers are, generally speaking, quite young. I’m trying to pull out this sense of youthful, cool alienation, which is threatening but also exciting.”
American Idiot
American Idiot is the quintessential punk musical, and the most angst-ridden production to ever hit the stage. It only makes sense that one of the most essential, politically fueled concept albums be turned into a stage production. The jagged musical began it’s extraordinarily successful Broadway run in 2010, and has since continued to tour internationally.
Sia & Maddie Ziegler
The collaborative efforts between Sia and Maddie Ziegler have made for the most memorable music videos of the past decade. Their first collaboration together – the music video for “Chandelier” has amassed over 1.9 billion views on Youtube. It is the music video that propelled both artists to the highest echelons of superstardom.
Sydney Dance Company will begin it’s run of Forever & Ever at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay, from October 16-27. For more information, and for your chance to win a double pass to the show, click here.
