A symphony of mesmerizing movement – Chunky Move announces Antony Hamilton’s new work, 4/4

Melbourne’s genre-defying contemporary dance company, Chunky Move, has announced their much-anticipated new work 4/4, conceptualised, directed and choreographed by Chunky Move Artistic Director Antony Hamilton.

Premiering on Tuesday 8 August, and running for seven shows until Saturday 12 August, eight dancers will perform a stark symphony of mesmerising movement inside the industrial vastness of Southbank’s Malthouse Theatre.

In a world full of commotion and clamour, 4/4 is a captivating meditation of meticulous, stripped-back dance combining choreographic precision, minimalist design and rugged street aesthetics.

The episodic performance unfolds segment by segment, each building upon the last, while quartets and duets converge and diverge in evermore hypnotic configurations. Synonymous with Hamilton’s expert practice within the contemporary and street dance genres, 4/4 continues to push the boundaries in how audiences experience performance.

“4/4 is probably the most densely complex choreographic work I’ve ever made”, said Hamilton. “With an ensemble assembled from dancers with such varied experiences, knowledge and practices, it blows my mind every time I see them working, and coming together in harmonious, singular attention to the immense task of performing this work”, he continues.

Collaborator Alisdair Macindoe’s sound design uses metronome arrangements to create harmony and discord in its composition, elevating the complexity of the dance. This juxtaposition is further enhanced by the accompanying lighting design from Bosco Shaw and raw, street-inspired costume designs by Paula Levis.

Hamilton and Macindoe’s last major collaboration, MEETING, took home a Green Room Award, Helpmann Award and Bessie Award from New York, enchanting audiences across the globe for three years running. 4/4 reunites their idiosyncratic sound and movement language once again, for a new generation of dance-lovers.

Chunky Move was established in 1995 and as Victoria’s flagship contemporary dance company, is one of the most influential arts organisations in Australia. Under the creative leadership of Artistic Director Antony Hamilton, Chunky Move creates bold, visually striking, and genre-defying dance works that merge the body with other artistic mediums. Chunky Move’s works interact with varied spaces and presentation contexts and are underpinned by an ethos of collaboration and experimentation. Artists and audiences are at the heart of the company, and their partnerships and projects, expressed through a program of major works, commissions, residencies, workshops and public classes, aim to increase the visibility of contemporary dance as an everyday artform.

4/4 runs from 8 – 12 August 2023 at Malthouse Theatre. Tickets are now on sale via malthousetheatre.com.au 4/4 is performed by Mason Kelly, Melissa Pham, David Prakash, Harrison Ritchie-Jones, Aimee Schollum, Michaela Tancheff, Nikki Tarling, and Jayden Wall.

Further information can be found at chunkymove.com/works/4-4/