Chunky Move Premieres AN ACT OF NOW at Melbourne Festival, Now thru Oct 27

Chunky Move presents the World Premiere of An Act of Now at the Melbourne Festival this October, the highly anticipated debut work under new Artistic Director Anouk van Dijk. Casting a fresh eye over her new hometown, van Dijk presents An Act of Now in the iconic Sidney Myer Music Bowl, reimagined in an audacious new light.

Exploring proximity, isolation and humankind’s ability to coexist, An Act of Now is presented in a smoke filled glasshouse on the Sidney Myer Music Bowl stage. In a moment of precise, dynamic movement, the veil of smoke is broken and eight dancers fill the space, drawn to, yet confined by its boundaries. Who will lead? Who will follow? As the balance of power shifts, who will flourish and ultimately, who will survive? Seated alongside, the audience watch and listen intimately on personalised headphones, cocooned in their own experience as the footfalls and reactions of dancers meld with a quietly pulsing score.

An Act of Now will form the third part in a series of projects where van Dijk researches human behaviour in response to their environment. These performances take on different forms and are shown in non-traditional settings and on specific sites. The first two parts in the series took place in The Netherlands, one in the open air on the island Terschelling and one in a former shipyard warehouse in Amsterdam.

Anouk van Dijk assumed the role of Artistic Director at Chunky Move in July this year, taking over from founder Gideon Obarzanek. An internationally acclaimed choreographer, her work has toured extensively throughout her home country of The Netherlands, Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Van Dijk’s work is daring, innovative and unpredictable in both its form and context.

Chunky Move has earned an enviable reputation for producing a distinct yet unpredictable brand of genre-defying dance performance, constantly seeking to redefine what is or what can be contemporary dance within an ever-evolving Australian culture. Anouk van Dijk’s appointment as Artistic Director marks an exciting new chapter in the company’s evolution.

Impassioned and uplifting, An Act of Now is an arresting premiere from the mind of Dutch dance phenomenon Anouk van Dijk – a tantalising taste of what’s to come for Australia’s most beloved contemporary dance company.

The Melbourne Festival and Chunky Move in association with Arts Centre Melbourne present AN ACT OF NOW at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, tonight 17 – Sat 27 October at 8pm. Duration: 1hr, no interval.

Concept & Choreography: Anouk Van Dijk
Composition & Sound Design: Marcel Wierckx
Costume Design: Anna Cordingley
Lighting Design: Niklas Pajanti
Dancers: Peter Cseri, Leif Helland, Stephanie Lake, Lauren Langlois, Paea Leach, Alya Manzart, James Pham and Nina Wollny

Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 723 038 / melbournefestival.com.au