OBSERVER: Monolith


Monolith is a powerful new dance work by Joel Bray Dance that echoes and honours generations of protest and rebellion, presented from June 3-15 at Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall as part of the Rising Festival.
Together, five fierce Brown present themselves as obstacle and resistance to colonising power. They evoke a monolith – the ancient rock formations that sit-in the landscape and defy the deforestation and urbanisation of surrounding Country.
Wiradjuri artist and creator Joel Bray says, “Our Elders sat on Freedom Ride buses and in Tent Embassies. They sat and endured the indignities of rotten fruit and the brutalities of arrest.”
“As we developed Monolith, we spoke about our Elders’ experiences, the power of silence and the act of taking up space. We danced together as a declaration of group power,” says Bray.
Monolith explores geological time and the cadence of Country. It includes a dystopian island designed by artist Jake Preval as well as delicate and driving beats by composer Matthias Shack- Arnott.
While Bray is best known for his immersive and participatory dance-theatre works, Mionolith is an exciting return to the craft of collaborative dance-making.
Performance Dates: June 3-15, 7.30pm Wed.-Sat., 5pm Sun .Preview: 7.30pm Tues. June 3, Post-show artist talk: 7.30pm Wed. Jun. 11, Tactile tour and audio described performance: 7.30pm Thu. Jun. 12
Venue: Arts House – North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry St, North Melbourne
Bookings: artshouse.com.au 9322 3720
Cheryl Threadgold