PIAF launches 2017 program
The Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) has unveiled a world-class program of art without borders. From 10 February to 5 March, more than 700 of the planet’s most visionary artists will transform the city with more than 180 events and create new pathways for us to see, understand and re-imagine our world.
PIAF 2017 will welcome thousands of visitors to share in 11 Australian exclusives, five world premieres and an array of unforgettable artistic experiences. Themes of migration, reconciliation, accessibility and empathy run through the festival lineup.
PIAF is the longest running annual multi-arts celebration in the Southern Hemisphere, and the jewel in the crown of Western Australia’s cultural life. The 65th annual festival is the second of four under Artistic Director Wendy Martin’s leadership. Her first festival in 2016 was inspired by a sense of place and PIAF 2017 will embed all attendees even deeper into Western Australia; its beauty, fragility and connection to a complex world.
“Imagination knows no borders,” Martin said. “This has been the heartbeat of PIAF for more than six decades. In a world where we’re constantly communicating but not truly connecting, the festival brings us together to share exceptional experiences.”
In a quintessentially WA summer experience, the 65th festival encompasses unique venues and spaces that take advantage of glorious outdoor settings, including the festival’s revamped home for contemporary music at Elizabeth Quay and one of the largest inner city parks in the world, Kings Park.
Dance highlights for PIAF 2017 include:
– The Australian premiere of Betroffenheit. From two of Canada’s most adventurous artists, award-winning choreographer Crystal Pite and playwright/performer Jonathon Young, Betroffenheit is a dance work of raw human emotion and heroic theatrical brilliance that places audiences in the wake of a disaster, accompanied by a crisis-management team. Bodies talk with heart-wrenching eloquence in this thrillingly work.
– The Australian exclusive Exit/Exist. Leading South African choreographer and gifted dancer Gregory Maqoma pays homage to his ancestor, a revered Xhosa warrior chief who lost everything to the British and died imprisoned, in this work.
– Antony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe’s Meeting. This is a synchronised meeting of minds and machines from two of Australia’s most brilliant choreographer/dancers.
– The return of West Australian Ballet’s much-loved Ballet At The Quarry. Performed under the stars, the program will present Australian and world premieres from three distinctive choreographers: Colombian-Belgian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, the Canadian-born Eric Gauthier and WAB’s very own Christopher Hill.
– The much-anticipated Australian exclusive A O Lang Pho. Nouveau Cirque du Vietnam makes its Australian debut with A O Lang Pho, a breathtaking production of contemporary circus accompanied by live music. It features a cast of 15 acrobats and five musicians that celebrate the culture of Vietnam and turns tradition on its head.
– From The Vuyani Ensemble, a celebration of spirit and resilience and a mesmerising fusion of traditional African and contemporary European music and dance with gorgeous live singing.
For further information on PIAF 2017, head to https://perthfestival.com.au.
Photo (top): Dancers in Betroffenheit. Photo (left): Gregory Maqoma in Exit/Exist. Photo (right): Nouveau Cirque du Vietnam in A O Lang Pho. Photos courtesy of PIAF.