OBSERVER: Lighting The Dark


Monash Performing Arts Centres (MPAC) present Lighting the Dark, directed by Chris Dyke, on Friday, March 27 at 7.30pm at the Alexander Theatre, Monash University, Clayton.
Commissioned by dance company Dancenorth Australia, Lighting the Dark is the first mainstage dance work in Australia – and potentially the world – to be directed by an artist living with Down syndrome.
With the Dancenorth ensemble by his side, Dyke will transform the stage into a portal where love and light illuminate the darkness, and a reminder for audiences of the complexity of life’s challenges and the beauty found in resilience.
Inspired by Banksy, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, Chris finds kinship in their revolutionary spirit, each serving as a reflection of his own vision. Lighting the Dark is a profound celebration of the human experience – a transcendent journey that traverses individual and universal truths in a dance to the very centre of what it means to be human.
Dyke’s long-time collaborator and Dancenorth’s Co-Artistic Director Kyle Page said it’s been a joy for Dancenorth’s Ensemble and creative team to work alongside Chris to bring his vision to life. “Chris is such a creative force, and he has brought an incredible clarity and instinct to what he wanted to achieve with his first full-length, ensemble piece.”.
Performance Date: March 27 at 7.30pm
Venue: Alexander Theatre: The Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts, 48 Exhibition Walk, Clayton.
Tickets: monash.edu/mpac
Cheryl Threadgold