Breakout choreographer Harrison Ritchie-Jones (CUDDLE) is making waves with his eclectic and unconventional approach to dance. Clashing forms and styles with high technical skill, he’s using dance as a frame for absurdity, physical virtuosity and surreal storytelling.
TANTRUM for 6 thrusts us into a parallel universe where six babies are born from a thunderstorm, each with a natural ability to dance together. Like young goslings learning to fly, they dive straight into the challenges of their choreographed destiny.
Featuring an ensemble of expert dancers, TANTRUM for 6 becomes a guttural primal scream — a mesmerising storm of movement that captures raw emotions, chaos and grace. This dynamic dance work considers what it is to be human, twisting and reshaping six paths in a choreography of elegance, danger, ecstasy, sadness and exhaustion.
Big emotional outbursts are rarely indulged in by adults. Yet in TANTRUM for 6, six grown humans let loose together on a rollercoaster of emotion not usually associated with adulthood, or dance, which is often characterised by neutral expression and formal exploration.
Described as a powder keg of discordant ingredients — clashing and cacophonous with competing possibilities — the performance will be visually thrilling, totally bizarre but energetically exciting. A talented team of artists both on stage and behind the scenes come together to create a truly multisensory experience.
Ritchie-Jones is garnering wide praise for the originality of his work. His choreographic practice celebrates dance and is fueled by a curiosity in techniques from a range of physical practices. In blending forms, Ritchie-Jones uses dance to carve out spaces for absurdity, humour and physical virtuosity to work together in surreal and expressive explorations of storytelling.
Featuring a diverse range of choreographic influences, Ritchie-Jones describes the work as “a new movement language that’s a refined technical practice of weaving and blending contemporary dance with inspiration from Rodeo, barnyard dance, wrestling, classical partner dance, martial arts, contact improvisation, figure skating, break dance and other abstract references.”
Darebin Arts Speakeasy will present Harrison Ritchie-Jones’ TANTRUM for 6 from 12 – 22 February. For tickets and more information, visit arts.darebin.vic.gov.au/Programs-and-opportunities/Programs/Speakeasy-presentations/TANTRUM-for-6.
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