MOVERS & SHAKERS

FROM 7 - 11PM

Movers and Shakers – ground-breaking dance event with Australia’s leading dance companies. Non-stop, high octane moves from over 300 dancers on custom-built stages. Plus - The Pyrophone Juggernaut - a fire-fuelled musical spectacle.

In recent years the popularity of dance in its myriad forms has exploded. In 2009 Festival First Night celebrates this on an epic scale.

Movers & Shakers is the centrepiece dance event, transforming Martin Place with non-stop works from some of Australia’s best dance companies and choreographers, alongside a range of dance associations and community groups.

A custom-built, five-storey-high stage will play host to a series of short, sharp, high octane works. These will be interspersed with breath-taking visuals mixed live by Sydney’s finest VJs.  The non-stop action will alternate with a second stage and some surprising performance areas utilising Martin Place’s heritage streetscape.

Over 300 performers will dance in works choreographed by Shaun Parker, Narelle Benjamin, The Fondue Set and Marnie Palomares to name a few, with the program also including contributions from Sydney’s best Latin dancers, krumpers, yogis, breakers and parkour dudes to a pumping DJ soundtrack mixed live.

Movers & Shakers is directed by Nigel Jamieson, whose extensive international and national career includes a broad range of performing arts, spanning from theatre direction (Honour Bound in 2006, Gallipoli in 2008) to large-scale events (Olympic Games 2000, Commonwealth Games 2002).

Australian dance companies and choreographers and the works being performed on the night, include:

AUSTRALIAN DANCE THEATRE
For more information, click here.

SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY
For more information, click here.


BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE
For more information, click here.


CHUNKY MOVE
For more information, click here.


FORCE MAJEURE
For more information, click here.


NAISDA DANCE COLLEGE
For more information, click here.


STALKER
For more information, click here.


SHAUN PARKER PROJECTS
For more information, click here.


THE CHOOKY DANCERS
To watch a video clip of The Chooky Dancers, click here.


THE FONDUE SET PRESENTED BY PERFORMANCE SPACE
For more information, click here.


STUDIO 11
For more information, click here.


CELEBRITY DANCERS OF LATIN AMERICAN
For more information, click here.


LOS GAUCHOS
For more information, click here.


NARELLE BENJAMIN
For more information, click here.


KATHY COGILL
For more information, click here.


MARNIE PALOMARES
For more information, click here.


DANCEKOOL
For more information, click here.


CAPOEIRA TOPAZIO
For more information, click here.


BRANCH NEBULA PRODUCED BY PERFORMING LINES
For more information, click here.


DARRIO STREETDANCE
For more information, click here.

Live visuals by Synarcade Audio-Visuals


A WORD FROM NIGEL JAMIESON

"An historic gathering of dance companies from across Australia, featuring 350 performers, in which Australia’s finest choregraphers and dancers, are joined by VJs, krumpers, bmx riders, yogis, break dancers, and body poppers.

See why Australian dance has taken the world by storm, acclaimed from New York to Beijing, for its energy, thrill and dynamism.

With performers stacked five tiers high, and projectors hurling their  images across the buildings of Martin Place, watch as sydney moves like never before."


MOVERS & SHAKERS COMPETITION

To celebrate Movers & Shakers at Festival First Night, Sydney Festival is giving away the Ultimate Dance Pack.

Click here for more info and to go in the draw.


MOVERS & SHAKERS - FILM

Alongside the live performances, we also bring you excerpts of recent Australian films exploring the relationship between dance and screen culture. All of these films feature in the ReelDance program (either as 2008 finalists or part of the Take 08 program). ReelDance supports innovative creative practice that works across disciplinary boundaries at the cutting edge of dance, film and new media art. For more info, click here.

POD
By Samuel James and Narelle Benjamin featuring dancers from the Sydney Dance Company

Dance Like Your Old Man
Directed by Gideon Obarzanek and Edwina Throsby
Cinematography by Cordelia Beresford
Produced by Chunky Move in association with Chequerboard Productions

Ornamental
Directed & Choreographed by Anton

The Shape of Water
Directed by Cordelia Beresford
Choreography and concept by Narelle Benjamin
Featuring dancers from the Sydney Dance Company, soloist Alexa Heckmann

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Movers & Shakers is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts. This initiative reflects the Australia Council’s commitment to making contemporary dance accessible to more Australians. This initiative builds on the Australia Council’s support for the dance program in Sydney Festival 2008.

Australia Council chief executive Kathy Keele has said: "Movers & Shakers is an exciting step bringing Australian dance to new stages and allowing more Australians to discover and enjoy the uniquely Australian choreographic voice." 


MARTIN PLACE & MACQUARIE STREET

The Pyrophone Juggernaut is a fire-fuelled organ.  Be astounded as a group of performance artists and musicians, armed with ignition and loads of inspiration, clamber in a tightly choreographed percussive spectacle.  This is the largest hand operated multi-octave fire organ in the world.  An amazing fiery spectacle!

TO VIEW THE FESTIVAL FIRST NIGHT ECARD, Click here.