ORBIT brings groundbreaking dance to Adelaide

Adelaide is no stranger to being skipped over. Pretty much anything that tours will call something “national” and then conveniently bunny-hop over our city in the process. But, with its new touring program, ORBIT, Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) is offering an antidote to the troubling trend.

“Much of the narrative surrounding the arts at the moment is closures and cancellations and major events skipping over Adelaide, which is a bit boring,” ADT’s executive director Nick Hays says. “ORBIT is a bit of good news – shows that wouldn’t otherwise get a run in SA are performing here and (re)connecting us with what’s happening nationally.

“There’s probably a pun to be made about ORBIT and Adelaide’s gravitational pull,” he adds with a laugh.

ORBIT sees ADT collaborate with Sydney Dance Company and Melbourne’s Dancehouse to slingshot four independent dance works on a tour to Adelaide, Sydney and throughout Victoria. ORBIT isn’t only good for audiences: it’s good for artists, too.

“The tours are fully supported for the artists, making touring more sustainable while giving artists the opportunity to present their work to people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to see it (read: audiences in Adelaide).

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“What happens a lot for independent artists is that they make these amazing works but, due to the challenges of funding and a lack of spaces to perform, these works often only get one season in one city,” Hays says. “They’re over in the blink of an eye.

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“ORBIT takes these works and gives artists everything they need to bring them to audiences across the country. It’s win-win. Artists get to tour. And South Australian audiences don’t miss out on the type of work that’s shaping the future of dance in this country.”

Hitting ADT’s home theatre of The Odeon from November 5-14, ORBIT will present two double bills of dance over two weeks. In the first week, from November 5 -7, audiences will be able to experience the South Australian premieres of Keia McGrady’s meditative Charcoal alongside Jo Lloyd’s lauded work, Agitato.

“Jo Lloyd is a titan of Australian dance,” Hays says. “Agitato is an incredibly special work that sees her bring her singular type of choreography to Adelaide in a piece that’s thrilling, swirling and characteristically virtuosic.

“Charcoal sees emerging Githabul, Migunberri and Gomeroi choreographer Keia McGrady create a direct line between the body and Country informed by Elders and ancestral knowledge, with two dancers moving and marking a large canvas with pieces of ash throughout the performance.”

From November 12-14, works from choreographers Amy Zhang and SA’s very own Gabrielle Nankivell take over The Odeon for ORBIT’s second week. The works take their inspiration from sources as diverse as moments of ecological discord, Japanese gameshows, adaptive processes of microscopic organisms and even The Sims.

“Amy Zhang is an artist on the rise, working across dance, music, theatre and fashion – she’s even choreographed for Cartier,” Hays says.

“Her work, [ gameboy ], pits two dancers against each other in a series of escalating physical challenges in a piece that’s theatrical, fun and daring.

“We were lucky enough to host the premiere of Gabrielle Nankivell’s Future History at The Odeon in 2021 and were blown away by its ambition and Gabrielle’s physical mastery.

“It’s wonderful to see the work, which was developed throughout Covid and navigated lockdowns and border closures in its path to the stage. It’s a thrill to see it return and to support an SA artist to take their work on tour, while honouring the remarkable depth of talent here in the independent sector.”

ORBIT received investment from Creative Australia, and is a result of almost two years of work behind the scenes from ADT, Sydney Dance Company and Dancehouse, who see the creation of meeting points between artists and audiences as crucial to vitality of the arts sector.

“It’s rare to see emerging and established artists programmed side-by-side, let alone works with such diverse points of view and choreographic interests,” Hays says. “And to then tour them around the country. Audiences and artists are craving opportunities like ORBIT. And we’re thrilled to be able to be part of it.

“ORBIT is going to be a real vibe. We hope our audiences get behind the program because each work is very special. We can’t wait to see you there.”

ORBIT runs at The Odeon from November 5-14. Tickets to Week One and Week Two are available now.