An international collaboration between two nations, who have experienced the devastation, loss, and the ongoing after effects of an earthquake, Fault Lines – a unique collaboration between Leshan Dance Company, Melbourne Arts Festival and Christchurch Arts Festival will be presented in Sydney and Canberra in June.
Fault Lines depicts the human response to the devastating earthquakes in Christchurch and the Sichuan province of China. It had its world premiere at the Melbourne Festival in October 2012 in a unique collaboration between New Zealand choreographer Sara Brodie and China’s Sichuan province-based Leshan Song & Dance Troupe. Together they crafted an intimate, personal response to explore shared earthquake experiences by combining traditional Chinese dance and culture with contemporary dance.
On a quiet spring afternoon in 2008, an earthquake measuring eight on the Richter scale devastated the Sichuan province of China, killing over 69,000 people. It was a natural disaster on such a scale that defied imagination – but for millions of Chinese survivors, there was nothing for it but to pick up the pieces and carry on.
The earthquake hit with intensity, and inflicted fear, trauma, and not only the loss of loved ones, but the loss of inner peace. The choreography and the dancers take the audience on the roller coaster journey that follows this event. In a dance of rare technical prowess, Fault Lines is a sincere elegy to those lost, and a stirring tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.
As well as dance and theatre, the performance includes elements of song. Composer Gareth Farr sat in on the creative process and composed the music as the work was put together. In addition to his new score, the show also includes Questioning the Mountain (written by Gao Ping in response to the Sichuan earthquake) and Nor’West Arch (written by Farr in response to Christchurch’s quake.)
“The dancers moved with such grace and ease, it was as though they were weightless. This is a must see performance.” – Dance Informa
Fault Lines
Roslyn Packer Theatre, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay (Sydney)
Performances: 11 & 13 June 2015
Information and bookings: www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au
The Playhouse – Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, Canberra
Performance: Monday 15 June 2015
Information and bookings: www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au
For more information, visit: www.faultlines.co for details.
Image: Fault Lines – photo by Leah Robertson