North of Centre

STEP BACKSTAGE AT Darwin Entertainment Centre’s Playhouse and immerse yourself in three new dynamic dance pieces, exploring the places dance comes from in our bodies.

By Anna Dowd

Over three separate works – a solo, a duet and a trio – North of Centre showcases the energies of NT dance, from the deserts of Central Australia to the tropics of South East Asia.

Artistic Producer Tim Newth of Tracks Dance says the works are tied together by themes of orientation to place, and how that manifests in movement.

“In the first solo, we see dancer Kelly Beneforti who grew up in Darwin. The seasons we have here, the climate, all that sits in her body and meets the techniques she’s been trained in,” he says.

“In the same way you can be in nature and see a tree and be in awe of that, witnessing dance like this piece can be exquisitely beautiful.”

Similarly, Desak Putu Warti brings her life as a Balinese woman in the second piece, with training from a very young age.

“When Putu dances, she dances with 50 years of Balinese dance in her body. Coming from that place, she brings her whole life into the moment you experience watching her.”

Dancing with Jocelyn Tribe who grew up in Australia – now a student of Putu’s – the duet uses contemporary movement and an electronic and instrumental score influenced by Balinese culture.

The final work by Alice Springs’ GUTS Dance takes a playful turn, drawing on the dancers’ interest in the energies of a group of people in a room.

“From the moment they see the audience in the foyer, they explore the dance in their own bodies at the same time as putting out feelers for what’s in the audience. Together, these three works make a truly diverse collection from the Northern Territory.”

North of Centre
WHEN TUE 11- THU 13 AUG, 6PM & 7.30PM
AT THE PLAYHOUSE, DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
COST $21-$25
INFO darwinfestival.org.au

Thumbnail photo: Paz Tassone