Culture
Dance
It’s time we made space for Australia’s lost dancers
A ballet dancer explores how the barriers preventing dance from becoming more diverse are breaking down.
- by Leila Lois
Latest
★★★★½
Performing arts
How rare is this? Dance that makes you laugh out loud
This witty double bill is a must-see and deserves more performances.
- by Jill Sykes
The Sydney teen Irish dance sensation whose leaps into the Eire defy gravity
Liam Costello, 19, has been the undefeated world Irish dance champion since 2018, thanks to his extraordinary jumps and precision.
- by Catherine Lambert
Bangarra’s powerful story of loss, and the black divas who changed the world
A new work from Bangarra honours a friend, a colleague and a towering spirit who embodied the fierce passion and strength of her Country.
- by Nick Miller
The life-changing moments that brought two dance recruits to Australia
One of The Australian Ballet’s new recruits fled Russia as the war began, another grew up in the north of England and preferred football to dance.
- by Catherine Lambert
★★★½
Performing arts
Grace, fun and technical prowess showcased in curiously hybrid ballet event
The Sydney International Ballet Gala was a cross between a ballet school concert and an old-fashioned gala when dancers gathered to show off their party pieces.
- by Jill Sykes
The breakthrough that changed Frances Rings’ relationship with her dad
The newly appointed director of Bangarra Dance Theatre talks about the life-changing advice her Dad gave her, finding her cultural roots and her blended family.
- by Jane Rocca
Choreography works are engrossing, but there’s barely a dance step in sight
The national biennial award commissions original works by Australian artists and this year’s four performers create feats of the imagination.
- by Jill Sykes
★★★★★
Arts
Ferocious, topical and sassy: This stage show is not to be missed
Six the Musical gives a Girl Power makeover to the story of Henry VIII’s wives, in a pop-fuelled production inspired by divas like Beyonce, Adele and Sia.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Andrew Fuhrmann, Tony Way and Kate Herbert
Cattle calls, stress, high kicks: Scrapping for work in the cut-throat dance world
Melbourne-born Caitlin Marks made it through the first auditions for the Rockettes, the New York dance company that personifies Christmas in the Big Apple.
- by Nick Miller