Finding a way out of fear and anxiety

Dancenorth to offer hope in its work for major festival

INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed Townsvillebased dance company Dancenorth will wow local audiences when its brand new work, Wayfinder, premieres at the Townsville Civic Theatre as part of the North Australian Festival of the Arts (NAFA) on June 24 and 25.

This follows the company’s critically acclaimed run of NOISE, which captivated Adelaide audiences at Womadelaide 2022.

In producing the new work for the festival, Dancenorth has combined with a wealth of creative talent. Three-time Grammy nominated Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote and sound artist Byron J. Scullin have joined forces with Dancenorth to create a soaring composition evoking pleasure and possibility. Japanese-australian visual artist Hiromi Tango offers her joyful, heart-expanding artwork to both the stage design and costumes for this sublime new performance, featuring lighting design by Niklas Pajanti. Dancenorth artistic director Kyle Page said Wayfinder was a moment of celebration, positivity and togetherness and an antidote to the fear and anxiety permeating all corners of the globe.

“This is the first time Dancenorth have performed at the Townsville Civic Theatre in decades, and we are thrilled to be partnering with NAFA to share a work of this scale with Townsville.”

Wayfinder has been commissioned by both the Brisbane Festival and NAFA.

Townsville City Council Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson Ann-maree Greaney said this announcement highlighted Dancenorth’s position as a cultural ambassador for Townsville.

“Council has worked hard to establish Townsville as the arts and culture capital of Northern Australia, and helping to foster and enhance Dancenorth’s exceptional national and international artistic reputation is part of our strategy,” Ms Greaney said. “Dancenorth is Townsville’s greatest cultural export and council is incredibly proud to invest in one of Australia’s major performing arts companies.”

Tickets are available from the Townsville Civic Theatre or go to nafa-tsv.com.au