Gesturing Weaving Unfolding at Victorian College of the Arts

The Victorian College of the Arts warmly invites you to join them for Gesturing Weaving Unfolding, a new interdisciplinary dance work that resonates with the returns of history and the return of two distinguished VCA alumni, James Batchelor (Choreographer) and Morgan Hickinbotham (Composer).

Gesturing from the past, weaving through the present and unfolding towards the future, this work explores the lineage of Ausdruckstanz (expressive dance) in Australia via the Jewish-Austrian pioneer Gertrud Bodenwieser (b. Vienna 1890 – d. Sydney 1959). The dancers have been introduced to elements of Bodenwieser’s style characterised by a soft sense of freedom through decorative, fluid and expressive movements. It embraces circles, spirals, waves and figure-8s with an emphasis of de-centring the body from the vertical axis. The choreography examines these principles within an exploratory process of personal embodiment and collective relation, moving beyond retrospection to search for an expressive form that speaks to the contemporary moment.

This process has been running in parallel to Leaning Rippling Breathing, a work with mature-aged dance company GOLD in Canberra, offering a contemplative addendum to James’ full-length work Shortcuts to Familiar Places (2022). These new works build on the choreography of James’ solo Breathing Gesture and the duet Echoes of the Expressive Dance, expanding on the notion of the embodied archive as an intergenerational constellation.

Performances of Gesturing Weaving Unfolding will take place from Tuesday 30 May – Saturday 3 June at the Martyn Myer Arena. Shows will be at 6 pm each evening, with an additional 4 pm matinee on 3 June. This performance will run for approximately 35 minutes.

Tickets are $15 for Full and $10 for Concession. For any ticketing inquiries, please contact fineartsmusic-tickets@unimelb.edu.au or click here to learn more.