Chinese & Contemporary Dance - 'Fault Lines'

Fault Lines - Sydney & Canberra 11-16th June 2015

Joint NZ & Chinese Dance Production Explores the
Intimate Human Response to Natural Disaster

FAULT LINES is an international collaboration between New Zealand and China – two nations who have experienced the devastation, loss, and ongoing after-effects of an earthquake.

Fault Lines depicts the human response to the devastating earthquakes in both Christchurch and the Sichuan province of China. The show had its world premiere at the Melbourne Arts Festival in October 2012 in a unique collaboration between New Zealand choreographer Sara Brodie and China’s Sichuan province-based Leshan Song & Dance Troupe. Together they crafted an intimate, personal response to explore shared earthquake experiences by combining traditional Chinese dance and culture with contemporary dance.
Now this critically acclaimed production is touring to Sydney and Canberra from 11 to 16 June 2015.
On a quiet spring afternoon in 2008, an earthquake measuring eight on the Richter scale devastated the Sichuan province of China, killing over 69,000 people. It was a natural disaster on such a scale that defied imagination – but for millions of Chinese survivors, there was nothing for it but to pick up the pieces and carry on.
The choreography and the dancers take the audience on the roller coaster journey that follows this event. In a dance of rare technical prowess, Fault Lines is a sincere elegy to those lost, and a stirring tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.
As well as dance and theatre, the performance includes elements of song. Composer Gareth Farr sat in on the creative process and composed the music as the work was put together. In addition to his new score, the show also includes ‘Questioning the Mountain’ (written by Gao Ping in response to the Sichuan earthquake) and ‘Nor’West Arch’ (written by Farr in response to Christchurch’s quake.)
For more info see – www.faultlines.co
“The dancers are beautifully trained in Chinese classical dance, and handle the unfamiliar contemporary dance vocabulary with skill.” The Age

“The dancers moved with such grace and ease, it was as though they were weightless. This is a must see performance.” Dance Informa