The premier showcase of contemporary dance leaps on to stages across the city, spotlighting Queensland’s major dance companies including Expressions Dance Company, Dancenorth, Queensland Ballet, Phluxus2 Dance Collective and The Farm as well as interstate artists and emerging and independent talent.

Curator and co-founder Kate Usher said the 2019 theme was The view from here: Dance in the Asia Pacific and encompasses seven major performance pieces, emerging works, a film program, a series of workshops for beginners through to industry professionals and a nightly schedule of facilitated conversations.

“We’re particularly focused this year on programming strong female artists and works so are delighted to welcome Lucy Guerin, one of Australia’s leading choreographers, to present Split. This is the first time in over 10 years that her company, Lucy Guerin Inc, has toured to Brisbane,” Ms Usher said.

Split is an elegant reflection of the dilemmas of negotiating a world of increased pressure and reduced resources and received a Helpmann Award for Best Dancer (Lillian Steiner) before touring globally in 2018.

HK Stories is a triple-bill of short works from three acclaimed Hong Kong independent dance artists, all with a focus on 21st century themes where art, politics and activism collide. “in,visible(cities); is a duet which explores urbanisation and gentrification and employs cutting-edge virtual reality technology; Nook is a sensitive exploration of gender, censorship and body ownership; and Folding Echoes reimagines the modern rules of theatre etiquette,” Ms Usher said.

“Hong Kong and Queensland dancers will also collaborate for a fortnight on Granite, a durational work by Liesel Zink, that sees them perform endurance-based choreography among hundreds of fragments of granite in a reimagination of landscapes and how our bodies interact with our envrions.

“Sharpening our Asia Pacific focus, we’ve invited independent Singapore artists to present three captivating works across one evening in Forecast 2.0: The Singapore Project, where they will invite the audience to contemplate their place in this fast-paced and ever-changing world.”

Joshua Pether, a First Nations artist based in Western Australia but hailing from Queensland, melds fact and fiction; sound and video; movement and narrative in Jupiter Orbiting, a personal conversation about mental health, while Phluxus2 Dance Collective has assembled an all-female Queensland cast for angel-monster, a boundary-pushing work that considers what it means to be female.

“I’m pleased to welcome the now-UK-based creative team behind They gather back to Brisbane to place our refugee crisis and global concerns of social empathy, community and peer support under the spotlight in what is sure to be a memorable homecoming,” Ms Usher said.

Supercell’s INDEX program returns for 2019, pulling back the curtain on how dance is created and permitting audiences behind-the-scenes to witness the creative development of contemporary works.

“Two of the works – Plastic Belly and Quantum Entanglement – were programmed from Phluxus2 Dance Collective’s indepenDANCE project 2018 and a third, Explain normal, is a vibrant and honest piece featuring a cast of artists with mixed abilities and I anticipate this work, in particular, is on the cusp of something big,” Ms Usher said.

Supercell 2019 sees the return of THINK Salon, a gathering of curious thinkers and inspired minds, meeting each evening to instigate critical dialogue on issues vital to activists, artists and authors.

“This year’s provocative series will be guest curated by Dancenorth’s Artistic Director Kyle Page who will welcome speakers from the fields of politics, journalism, humanities and science into the THINK Salon,” Ms Usher said.

Also returning in 2019 are the popular PARTICIPATE workshops curated by Gold Coast-based company, The Farm, at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts.

Grouped around the concepts of The How, The Why and The What, each workshop series affords dancers, artists and audience members of all skill levels to take part in the creation and execution of contemporary dance.

A fourth stream, called The Envelope, is likened to a dance version of the Amazing Race where participants travel from JWCOCA to Brisbane Powerhouse, with The Farm strategically placing letters and instructions along the path to challenge the context of a simple walk between two points.

In addition to The Envelope, Supercell will include a program of free public activations and events with further details released closer to the festival.

Two satellite performances will allow audiences the opportunity to participate in the creative process: the first stage development of The Bunker Project by choreographer Lisa Wilson and audio-visual artist Nathan Sibthorpe and An afternoon in the studio with EDC, a masterclass with the company’s new artistic director, Amy Hollingsworth.

Rounding out Supercell 2019’s program is CAPTURED: Dance for Screen, two curated film programs at New Farm Cinemas that showcase the modern relationship between body and lens.

“At the heart of Supercell is a desire to engage, inspire and connect audiences and artists and this year we are forging strong partnerships in the Asia Pacific region; championing the stories and talent of women; spotlighting artists with disability; and opening our public programs and workshops to dance lovers of all people and bodies,” Ms Usher said.

“More than 7000 people have attended a Supercell performance, event or workshop over the past two years and we look forward to welcoming many more in 2019.”

Supercell runs across multiple Brisbane venues including Brisbane Powerhouse, JWCOCA and New Farm Cinema from March 30 – April 7. For full program details, visit www.supercelldancefestival.com

Supercell is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and by Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Powerhouse and the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts.

Supercell
30 March – 7 April 2019
Multiple Brisbane venues including Brisbane Powerhouse, JWCOCA and New Farm Cinema
www.supercelldancefestival.com

Supercell is an annual contemporary dance festival held in Brisbane, Australia. The Festival presents a program of the highest-calibre contemporary dance to develop and connect choreographers, dancers, and audiences alike in a celebration of city, culture and community.

Sprinkling the palate and offering more than just a great night at the theatre, Supercell invites you to try out our Participate and Think programs to unpack and demystify the art form of contemporary dance and, to wholeheartedly inspire debate and dialogue around the hot topics and zeitgeist of our time. Bringing audiences up close and personal, activities include: workshops, classes, conversations and curated food and beverage experiences for both the professional dancer and lounge room dance party pro.

Supercell: Festival of Contemporary Dance Brisbane
10–18 February 2018
Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane
www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

Co-­founded and curated by Kate Usher and Glyn Roberts, SUPERCELL was born one evening in the midst of a nasty tropical storm. The term refers to the collision of multiple particles to create a major event with widespread beauty, ferocity, spectacle and rejuvenation -­ the perfect description of a festival only Brisbane and its unique climate, could create.

The opportunity for Brisbane and Queensland to be the centre of dance in Australia and recognised on the global stage persuaded Usher and Roberts to forge ahead as they explain, “We were inspired to create a critical mass around the exciting activities already happening and to establish a contemporary dance festival that’s progressive, exciting and excellent but grounded and energised by the inter-­connectivity between local and visiting dance artists and multiple audiences, whether the dance in your lounge room type of attendee or those that live and breathe it everyday.”

“Only a brave holistic and well-­supported program such as this proposal, so clearly & cleverly outlined, will re-­invigorate and excite existing audiences and encourage an army of new followers.” Graeme Murphy AO.

SUPERCELL will celebrate Queensland’s place in the world while connecting audiences with a virtuosic community of artists and companies both locally and internationally. The launch 2017 program will present high-­calibre contemporary dance performances by Australian and International artists including hot and sandy Gold Coast company The Farm, unconventional Melbourne-­based duo and Keir Choreographic Award contenders, Sarah Aiken and Rebecca Jensen, as well as Sydney’s Amrita Hepi and New Zealand’s Jahra Wasasala, who will be performing their first nations’ proud piece.

International artists exclusive to SUPERCELL are, Switzerland’s Simone Truong, bringing her young and vibrant company to Brisbane. Direct from the Guangdong Dance Festival a program of hot new talent from China’s Pearl River Delta, such as the Guangdong Modern Dance Company plus acclaimed dance artists residing in Macau, Guangdong and Hong Kong. Additionally, SUPERCELL will open the festival with Brisbane trained and UK lauded Joseph Lau and Bridget Fiske. This line up of selected works draws together, like the namesake of the festival, an electric collision of elements to present an event not to be
missed!

“We are thrilled to work with SUPERCELL to give time towards cultivating choreographers and seeding new ideas. Working alongside a dedicated presenter to actively support new work in Australia is setting a standard of best practice. Brisbane and The Gold Coast are thriving with fantastic artists and the festival provides the opportunity to gather this energy into a driving force.” Gavin Webber, Co-­Artistic Director, The Farm.

SUPERCELL also invites everyone, from the dance lover to the professional artist, to participate in our selection of workshops, dance classes and behind-­the-­scenes experiences. From relaxed talks, mingle with the performers over a drink to pulling on your yoga pants and breaking out the leg warmers, SUPERCELL offers multiple ways to celebrate dance.

SUPERCELL: Festival of Contemporary Dance Brisbane
18 February – 25 February 2017
The FarmHouse -­ 7/18 Mountain View Ave, Miami, Gold Coast
Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts – Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
supercelldancefestival.com