OBSERVER: Seven Dabnces For Seven People


Award-winning choreographer Trà Mi Dinh premieres a new work inspired by one of humanity’s oldest and most mysterious obsessions: the number 7 from September 9-19 at the Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre.
Fresh from commissions with Sydney Dance Company and Lucy Guerin Inc, Trà Mi Dinh creates choreography that bends perception of time, rhythm and expectation.
Her latest work, 7 Dances for 7 People, brings together seven of Melbourne’s most exceptional dancers in a ritual of precision, endurance and devotion.
Complex and precise movement builds through patterns and repetition, gradually reaching a heightened state of sensation and transcendence.
Composer Tilman Robinson, known for his ambient, maximalist electro-acoustic music, imbues the sonic world with his score, experimenting with a 7/8 time signature – an asymmetrical rhythm that creates a distinctive framework for choreographic exploration.
Across cultures and throughout history, the number seven has symbolised perfection and totality. 7 is seen as the union of the spiritual (3) and the physical (4), offering a compelling lens through which to consider the act of dancing.
Possessed by this equation and driven by the cultural mythology surrounding the number, 7 Dances for 7 People transforms numerical obsession into movement. The work explores the elusive yet prevailing impact and meanings of this number and its iterations in rhythm, repetition and symbolism.
7 Dances for 7 People brings together intricate threads in a work that is both epic and detailed – ‘a body-driven piece that shifts between majestic imagery, machine-like precision, and frenetic energy’.
This work does not ask the audience to theorise or ‘understand’: it is said to be ‘a seduction, and an invitation to feel.’
7 Dances for 7 People is presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy as part of Darebin FUSE Festival’s Open Access program.
Performance Dates: September 9-19 at 7.30pm
Venue: Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre, 189 High St, Northcote
Tickets: arts.darebin.vic.gov.au/Programs-and-opportunities/Programs/Speakeasy-presentations/7-Dances-for-7-
Cheryl Threadgold