Australian Dance Theatre (SA), Dancehouse (VIC), and Sydney Dance Company (NSW) are thrilled to announce the inaugural ORBIT program, featuring four independent choreographers who will embark on a fully supported multi-city tour throughout October and November.
Supported by Creative Australia, ORBIT has been designed to create sustainable touring and audience development pathways for independent dance. The 2026 ORBIT program will feature Agitato by Jo Lloyd (VIC), [GAMEBOY] by Amy Zhang (NSW), Future History by Gabrielle Nankivell (SA) and Charcoal by Githabul, Migunberri and Gomeroi choreographer Keia McGrady (VIC).
“Sydney Dance Company is committed to supporting the Australian dance sector by elevating the practice and work of independent choreographers,” says Sydney Dance Company’s Artistic Director, Rafael Bonachela, “Together with Australian Dance Theatre and Dancehouse, we can broaden this support, sharing their creativity and vibrant impact to even more audiences, reaching across the country with this important touring program.”
Blending emerging, mid-career and established voices, the 2026 ORBIT works are diverse in subject but united by an artistic ambition and invention. The programmed works run the gamut from a poignant meditation on connection to Country, a centuryspanning conversation between a choreographer and classical composer, an exploration of the precarity of the human body and natural world, and a street-infused work inspired by Japanese game shows.
“Unbeknownst to most Australians, some of our most exciting living artists are our home-grown choreographers,” says Josh Wright, Dancehouse’s CEO and Artistic Director, “for generations, the Australian dance scene has been recognised internationally for its boutique brilliance. And much of that flare comes from choreographers working outside of large companies. ORBIT is a chance to experience a selection of the celebrated but rarely seen dance works that often only one city, for a couple of nights, have had a chance to witness.”
Over half of applicants for the ORBIT program had never been able to tour their work due to a mix of limited presentation opportunities, and logistical challenges like increasing touring costs. ORBIT will see the four selected works tour in two double-bills, bouncing between Sydney Dance Company’s Neilson Studio, Dancehouse’s Sylvia Staehli Theatre and Australian Dance Theatre’s home at The Odeon.
ORBIT will also extend to outer-metropolitan presentations in Victoria, with seasons at Bunjil Place and Burrinja Cultural Centre. The program will not only invigorate the dance ecology, but also give audiences the opportunity to experience works from artists at the vanguard of contemporary practice.
“Independent artists lead the sector and consistently expand the idea of what it means to create contemporary dance in this country,” says ADT’s Executive Director Nick Hays, “but creating and touring work is getting more challenging, especially for independent choreographers. Working with our friends in Sydney and Melbourne to support these remarkable works and bring them to audiences is a real thrill. We can’t wait for ORBIT.”
ORBIT will tour from October to November 2026, with performances at Dancehouse in Victoria from 29–31 October and 19–21 November, Sydney Dance Company in New South Wales from 5–14 November, Australian Dance Theatre in South Australia from 5–14 November, Bunjil Place in Victoria from 19–20 November, and Burrinja Cultural Centre in Victoria on 28 November.
