The Australian Ballet – Verve

Three homegrown choreographers. Three very different works. Verve takes you on a journey through contemporary Australian dance with what Australian Stage calls "a blast of energy and talent."

Alice Topp’s Aurum moved critics and audiences to superlatives, tributes and tears when it premiered in 2018. Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi—repairing cracked pottery with precious metals—the work deals with the damage, healing and the beauty of our flaws. The dancers’ powerful movement and profound emotion are framed in a breathtaking staging by Jon Buswell, featuring a reflective golden floor and ripples of burnished light. This acclaimed work will have its New York premiere at the Joyce Theater in May.

Stephen Baynes’ Constant Variants mirrors the elegant classicism of Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme with velvet-soft, delicate dance. Gliding airborne, captured in warm light and vast picture frames, his dancers conjure the mesmerising beauty of Renaissance paintings.

Verve ends with a bang: Tim Harbour’s Filigree and Shadow, the hit of our 2015 contemporary program. The stripped-back clarity of its set, designed by Sydney architect Kelvin Ho, contrasts with the ferocious complexity and speed of the choreography and the drama of the specially commissioned electronic score by German duo 48nord. Adrenaline tingles all the way to the explosive finale.

In this Sydney-exclusive season, Verve takes the pulse of Australian contemporary dance – and finds it beating strong.