OBSERVER: Chunky Moves Phantasm
Australian contemporary dance company Chunky Move premieres Phantasm, the haunting new contemporary dance work from Australian choreographer Melanie Lane, from August 8-16 at Chunky Move Studios, 111 Sturt St, Southbank.
Developed as part of Lane’s 2023-2024 Chunky Move Choreographer-in-Residence tenure, Phantasm draws from stories of feminine spirits and fictions to conjure a liminal space of ghosts, jinns and heroines emerging from the underworld.
Performed by four dancers (Nikki Tarling, Rachel Coulson, Ashley McClellan and Georgia Rudd), bodies shift between seen and unseen worlds, channeling a transformative dance language where the spiritual and the corporeal entwine.
On developing the work over a two year period, Lane said: “Being able to explore this work with time, space and resources at Chunky has been an incredibly rare and invaluable experience.
It has given my practice the space to deepen and to dream into new territories of performance making with my collaborators.
“To work on ambitious ideas and follow them through in real terms is a gift for an independent artist.”
Phantasm continues Chunky Move’s commitment to bold new contemporary performance, offering audiences ‘a haunting, embodied experience where the spirit world is not only imagined, but deeply felt’.
Performance Season: August 8-16
Venue: Chunky Move Studios, 111 Sturt St., Southbank
Bookings: eventbrite.com.au/e/phantasm-by-melanie-lane-tickets-1416085422619
Cheryl Threadgold

