Guests will get a first glimpse of ADC’s 2025 Season with performance excerpts from works honouring the company’s legacy and heralding the future – all while raising funds for the Collective.

ADC Artistic Director & CEO, Amy Hollingsworth said: “This Gala is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate 40 years of the company’s extraordinary commitment to our artform and our artists.

We will continue to embrace our intergenerational focus and exhilarating interdisciplinary collaborations. Our heartfelt thanks to ADC’s long-time Major Partner, The Calile Hotel for supporting our creative vision and hosting this milestone event.”

Haesley Cush (CEO & co-partner of Ray White Collective) will get the bidding going on a live auction of exclusive items and behind-the-scenes experiences including a luxe stay at The Calile Hotel and decadent dinners at Brisbane’s most exquisite restaurants including sAme sAme, Biànca, hôntô and Agnes.

Tickets for the ADC Gala Raffle are also on sale now via the ADC website, with over $6,500 worth of incredible prizes.

ADC 40th ANNIVERSARY GALA
Thursday 7 November 2024 // 6.30pm – 9.30pm
Grand Rooms, The Calile Hotel
www.australasiandancecollective.com
Dress: Black Tie The ticket price includes an evening of live performances as well as delectable canapés and bottomless drinks

This year’s instalment of THREE features world-premieres from award-winning choreographer, Jenni Large, and leading multidisciplinary artist, Alisdair Macindoe, as well as an incredible solo work by independent dance maker, Amber McCartney.

In her first commission for ADC, acclaimed choreographer, Jenni Large, will be joined by long- time collaborator, Anna Whitaker, a composer with a palate for experimental, acousmatic works. Large’s work is described as a fusion of the personal, political, and transformational forces of embodiment.

One of Australia’s most exciting talents, Alisdair Macindoe, returns with a new commission and composition. Macindoe’s work spans performance and technology and his recent works explore themes such as automated dance, Artificial Intelligence, waste, climate change, and identity in the age of narcissism.

Brisbane will finally have the chance to see Amber McCartney’s highly acclaimed and provocative solo work, Tiny Infinite Deaths. Set to a pulsing, experimental soundtrack by Makeda Zucco, the work premiered at Melbourne’s RISING in 2023 to rave reviews. McCartney’s practice incorporates prosthetics, mask-making, film and practical special effects to create augmented bodies, unfamiliar to both performer and viewer.

The triple-bill will showcase the stunning versatility of the ADC dancers, with beloved Associate Company Artist, Tyrel Dulvarie, returning for the season.

ADC Artistic Director Amy Hollingsworth says she cannot wait to share this new collection of exceptional works with audiences.

“The curated THREE program gives audiences three unique offerings and personifies ADC’s commitment to presenting new and invigorating dance works,” said Hollingsworth

“The breadth of the triple bill featuring extraordinary Australian choreographers will not only showcase the range and versatility of the Collective’s dancers but will delight audiences.

“We all respond to art in different ways, and the gift of a varied program such as this, is that there really is something for everyone – from moments of awe and intrigue to introspection and joy.” she said

ADC’s THREE provides a platform for creative risk-taking, elevating a myriad of voices to produce new and invigorating art. Heralded as an experience which will “remind you what it feels like to be human – to be alive”, THREE 2024 is set to be just as extraordinary.

THREE
Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
20 – 23 March
www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

Brisbane-based ADC makes history with the ground-breaking production where drones are choreographed using movement patterns to mirror human emotions and personalities.

Conceived by ADC Artistic Director Amy Hollingsworth, Lucie In the Sky blends art and technology in an exploration of what it means to be human.

“Contemporary dance and technology push boundaries and connect people. I wanted to explore this through not only melding drones and dancers but, ultimately, humanising the drones,” Hollingsworth explains.

“I am deeply interested in how the relationship between humans and autonomous machines can transform when the drones are imbued with human-like behaviours.”

Lucie In the Sky pairs ADC dancers with five drone characters choreographed to emulate human emotions and interact in nuanced interpersonal relationships.

Each drone is encoded with a unique personality, from joyful to melancholic, and is identifiable by the colour of its light source, selected to represent that personality.

The drone characters are Lucie – the friend, M – the leader, Skip – the jester, Red – the rebel and Rue – the sage.

Unlike other drone performances that use coordinated swarming, Lucie In the Sky invites the audience to know and understand the individual drones as they create on-stage relationships with ADC dancers.

Technical adviser Dr Catherine Ball founded the World of Drones and Robotics Congress, connecting with Hollingsworth at the inaugural event in 2017 and jointly seeding the idea for Lucie In the Sky.

She says the performance uses art to spark conversations about how technology embeds itself in daily lives and how humans can protect their values of consent and choice.

“Lucie In the Sky is unique in terms of the technology being applied, the way dance is being used as the medium for conversation and the very audacity of trying to meld seemingly different parts of our worlds together,” she says.

“By physically mixing humans and agents – in this case, drones – provocatively, we can ask ourselves: is technology something we should have better control over or is it something we should allow to guide us over new horizons?”

ADC forged a partnership with Swiss-based Verity Studios – whose previous collaborators include Drake, Justin Bieber and Cirque Du Soleil – to create the cross-genre project named after a set of custom, trademarked micro drones called Lucie.

Funded through the Australian Government’s RISE Fund and philanthropic donations, Lucie In The Sky features lighting and stage design by Alexander Berlage, costume design by Harriet Oxley and an original score by Wil Hughes.

The project also incorporates a significant education and research program delivered in partnership with World of Drones Education and Australian National University’s School of Cybernetics, illustrating a future where the arts sit at the heart of Artificial Intelligence (AI) studies.

“Creative experiments intertwining arts and technology enhance our ability to imagine our place in our future,” Hollingsworth says.

“AI already permeates our lives but how humans and AI agents interact in the arts can be inspired and guided by projects like this.”

Lucie In the Sky is supported by the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund, an Australian Government initiative, and Queensland Performing Arts Centre.

ADC proudly welcomes two Principal Drone Partners for the world premiere season: Brisbane Airport Corporation supporting Lucie and The Calile Hotel supporting M.

“Our growing collaborative partnership with these two wonderful organisations highlights our collective ambition to create rich creative experiences and connections between people,” Hollingsworth said.

Lucie In the Sky
5 – 13 May 2023
QPAC Playhouse
www.qpac.com.au