DANCE X – FESTIVAL OF DANCE

Who got the opportunity to see Dance X? How awesome was it!!!

Over two weeks in the school holidays, 12 Dance Companies from all parts of Australia and the Royal New Zealand Ballet, performed various different styles of dance in the Dance X Showcase in Melbourne.

I was fortunate to see one of the last shows, with performances by Stephanie Lake Company, West Australian Ballet, The Australian Ballet, and Bungarra Dance Theatre.

I was absolutely blown away by the performance of Stephanie Lake Company called ‘Auto Cannibal’ and I could not take my eyes off the stage. Finding it quite hard to describe, as you really had to be there and see it to get the feel of what the dancers were expressing through the contemporary choreography, showing amazing strength with every dance move. There was no actual music; just beats and rhythm that the dancers connected and performed to. Their movement, flow and sense of connection through dance, was absolutely captivating.

Equally as good was the performance by the Bungarra Dance Theatre. ‘Yuldea’ is the first work of Frances Rings as Artistic Director and combines blends of contemporary dance and traditional First Nations movement.  The dancers displayed  exceptional strength, connection, mobility, and aerobics as they told the story of the Anangu people of the Great Victorian Desert in 1917, when traditional life collided with a growing nation.

Fourteen dancers from The West Australian Ballet performed an abstract classical piece combined with contemporary. ‘Extension to Boom’, which they first performed in 2024, did not have a story but rather showed the fast choreography combined with the strength of the dancers in simple but effective, candy-coloured pastel costumes.

The Australian Ballet performed their world premiere of ‘Delivery’, a classical character piece, choreographed by Tim Harbour. The three dancers showed great expression and movement as they took the audience on a journey, of adventure, mystery, and crime.

All four Dance Companies deserve credit but if I had to pick a favourite, then the standout for me is Stephanie Lake Company, followed closely by Bangarra Dance Theatre. Both these performances were breathtaking. The skills of the dancers were outstanding and sitting in the audience, I felt like I really connected with them.