Every Wild Idea: Critical Path Turns 20 with a Free 3-Day Festival
Australia’s leading choreographic research centre Critical Path celebrates its 20th anniversary with Every Wild Idea, a free three-day festival of live performance, film, archives and creative experimentation from 14–16 November 2025 at the heritage-listed Drill Hall in Rushcutters Bay.
Founded in 2005 to support independent choreographers and innovation in dance, Critical Path has become a vital hub for creative research and development in Australia. For two decades it has given artists the time, space and resources to explore movement ideas that shape the future of dance.
Exploring process, performance and possibility
The festival opens on Friday 14 November (7–9pm) with an immersive, real-time performance event curated by Azzam Mohamed, blending street, club and African dance forms. Seven artists will improvise together, creating choreography live while audiences move freely through the space — a rare chance to witness artistic process in motion.
Across the weekend, audiences can experience the film premiere of Breakthroughs by award-winning filmmaker Deborah May, capturing the creative journeys of five Australian dance artists as they follow flashes of inspiration and memory into new work.
On Sunday 16 November (11am–1pm), dance and multimedia artist Ira Ferris launches a special anniversary edition of Critical Dialogues #16 with Vignettes flickers fades — a conversation with Tammi Gissell, plus a live performance by Ryuichi Fujimura and music by Alexandra Spence.
“Twenty years on, Critical Path stands proud as a unique and significant contributor to the dance scene in Australia,” says Artistic Director Agnès Michelet.
All events are free, inviting the public to discover the creative energy that defines Critical Path’s legacy of experimentation and collaboration.
Event details
Every Wild Idea – Critical Path 20th Anniversary Festival
Fri 14 – Sun 16 November 2025
The Drill Hall, 1C New Beach Rd, Darling Point (Rushcutters Bay)
All events free – bookings via Humanitix
Supported by Create NSW, Creative Australia, and Woollahra Municipal Council.
