In Situ
Presented by Dance Makers Collective and Future Makers
Creative Producer Carl Sciberras
Curated by Miranda Wheen
Sydney Festival
Dance Makers Collective and Future Makers have produced an innovative outdoor performance experience for this year’s Sydney Festival. In Situ is a promenade performance, featuring the works of 10 young dancers and 10 choreographers, which combine to take the audience on an immersive journey through place and time.
Parramatta Park, with it places of significance to the Burramattagal people, colonisation and resistance, is the setting for the performance, which begins with a Welcome to Country.
The audience dons headphones and moves through the parkland in small groups, stopping at different locations in this curated performance experience. All the while, locals go about their daily lives in the park, playing cricket, enjoying a picnic or evening stroll, or cycling home from work. Far from a distraction, this ambience, combined with the sound of local birdlife, enhances the experience.
In Situ was developed through consultation with local elders Peta Strachan and Julie Webb, interviews with locals and historical stories. Each solo work is tied to the next with sound created by Western Sydney sound designer Del Lumanta.
Future Makers is Dance Makers Collective’s youth dance company, made up of 10 emerging dance artists from across Greater Sydney aged 18-23 years. In Situ showcases these emerging artists and the beauty and history that lies within Parramatta Park.