Win an Exclusive ‘Behind the Scenes’ Dance Studio Experience of Shaun Parker & Company’s KING

Shaun Parker & Company is thrilled to announce the opportunity to enjoy an exclusive ‘Behind the Scenes’ experience of their internationally acclaimed dance-music production KING, ahead of the Company’s departure for one of Europe’s most prestigious contemporary dance festivals, Belgrade Dance Festival 2025. 

 This intimate event will see 25 lucky people invited into the Shaun Parker & Company rehearsal space for a unique introduction to KING, including a preview of scenes from the performance, and the opportunity to get up close and personal with nine of Australia’s most exciting dancers, mastering Parker’s intricate and highly athletic choreography. 

 Shaun Parker & Company is also excited to share that for their upcoming performances at Belgrade, celebrated Australian actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter Keiynan Lonsdale has joined the KING cast.  

Known to many for his high-profile acting roles – beginning with his screen debut as ‘Ollie’ in the acclaimed ABC series Dance Academy, followed by roles in a series of Hollywood hits, including ‘Uriah’ in The Divergent Series, the iconic ‘Wally West/Kid Flash’ in CW’s The Flash, and ‘Bram/Blue’ in the culture shifting phenomenon, Love, Simon, and his recent success as a music artist, Lonsdale began his professional career as a dancer, and has maintained a strong dance practice for more than two decades.  

 KING represents Lonsdale’s first dancing role with a major dance company, one that the 33-year-old welcomes, as an opportunity to re-build on his roots, and connect with his first love – dance. 

With only 25 places available for this exciting behind the scenes sneak peek, demand is sure to be high. Email projects@shaunparkercompany.com to be in the running to attend. 

 The event will take place at 4.30pm on Thursday March 19 in Chippendale – with further information to be shared with the winners. 

 Hailed by critics from Sydney to Linz, Ramallah, Beirut, Cologne and Bolzano, as a “tour de force of creation and performance” (Artshub), KING brings one of Australia’s most highly acclaimed contemporary dance companies, led by director/choreographer Shaun Parker, together with the unique “musical genius” (Queer Guru, USA) of Bulgarian composer, singer and songwriter, Ivo Dimchev – currently Artist in Residence at New York La Mama Theatre, in “a rare form of inspired collaboration.” (Writing About Dance, UK). 

A “first-rate lyricist” (The New Yorker) with a wildly eclectic repertoire, a six-figure social media following extending across Europe and the US, and a growing body of YouTube videos that have garnered views in the millions, Dimchev was originally commissioned to compose the seductive original score that drives the narrative for Parker’s richly layered choreography; later agreeing to fly to Sydney to perform live in the production’s 2019 premiere. 

Six years later, Dimchev has toured with Shaun Parker & Company for every presentation of the production, performing his “melodic, piercing, and deeply powerful original compositions” (Luxembourg Times) live in the role of soulful cabaret crooner, alongside Parker’s “extraordinary, flawless, integrated ensemble” (Artshub) of nine of Australia’s most exhilarating dancers, and captivating audiences with his “seductive musicianship and mesmerising voice” (Sydney Arts Guide). 

Set in a fantastical realm, part cocktail-bar, part jungle – a setting conceived by Parker in collaboration with longstanding friend and supporter Australian philanthropist and horticulturalist Penny Hunstead, in her first foray into stage-design – KING builds on Parker’s reputation for combining hard-hitting, cutting-edge choreography with theatrical invention and striking musical soundscapes, in a bitingly provocative interrogation of male power, control, and group dynamics, that “keeps you on the edge of your seat to the very end.” (Dance Australia) 

KING is a “picture perfect, transfixing” (On Dancing, Australia) work hits home with a broad audience, “weaving in and out of the jungle and layers of masculinity, love and control” (Backyard Opera, Australia), with Parker’s “uniquely powerful and ingenious choreography” (Paneacqua Culture Magazine, Italy), “as gutsy and heart wrenching as Shakespeare’s poetry” (Sydney Arts Guide); “detailed, nuanced, imaginative and something that is rare in dance - funny.” (Frankfurter Rundschau, Frankfurt, Germany) 

 In Parker’s own words, "KING is a tribute to a society that is rebelling against a dysfunctional patriarchal tradition.” International dance magazine Fjord Review goes one step further, commenting that “in the current environment of changing patriarchal structures, KING is a must see.” 

As a special treat for Australian audiences, prior to departing for Belgrade, Shaun Parker & Company will present an exclusive in-studio preview of exerts from KING, providing a rare opportunity to experience the production in an intimate setting.  

First performed in Sydney in 2019 (and re-launched post-COVID as part of Sydney World Pride 2023), this globally acclaimed 73-minute production, has been a sell-out hit at major festivals and venues in Austria, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg and Palestine and Australia; will tour to Belgrade, Serbia in 2025; and is currently negotiating further high-profile international appearances in 2026.