How will we relate to our physical bodies in the future, once today’s science fiction starts to become reality, and
information flows at such incredible speeds that our bodies might need to adapt to keep up? New dance show System seeks to explore these questions and more as it takes audiences on an eerie journey to a possible future for our
physical bodies, where reproduction has transformed into something closer to information replication. System has its Wellington premiere as part of NZ Fringe Wellington, 20 - 23 March at Te Auaha.
Set in a futuristic landscape, System takes place in the corner of just one room, a confined space given life and power through a rich collaboration of
precision-led choreography, scenic design, intelligent lighting and a highly detailed sonic and audio-visual landscape,
created by leaders at the dance and design interface, Muscle Mouth.
“Like a live episode of Black Mirror, sprinkled with a hint of psychedelic warmth and wry humour", audience member on System, Tempo Dance Festival, Auckland 2018
System is performed by two of New Zealand’s most established international dancers, Ross McCormack (NZ Arts Foundation
Laureate and CNZ Choreographic Fellowship recipient) and Luke Hanna (Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative nominee).
Both have had prestigious international dance careers, working with sought after companies such as Belgium’s Les Ballets
C de la B, and Australia’s Chunky Move and Australian Dance Theatre.
With this suspenseful new dance work, Artistic Director, Ross McCormack says he wanted to “explore an incredibly precise futuristic world, to see what might happen if two people were forced to undergo a
replacement procedure that for reasons unknown had become necessary for progress. I find it fascinating to imagine how
we might engage with our physical bodies in the future as our relationship to technology changes”.
Muscle Mouth has been described as a company that creates the “kind of contemporary dance work that many of us crave and very rarely
get” (Radio New Zealand). Since forming in 2014, the company has received international recognition for presenting
provocative, highly charged works that powerfully integrate dance and performance design.
The company’s four co-founders (Artistic Director and Set Designer Ross McCormack, Sound and AV Designer, Jason Wright, Light Designer Natasha James and Dramaturg Melanie Hamilton) came together for the company’s first work Age, which was commissioned by the 2014 New Zealand Festival. Since then, they have created Triumphs and Other Alternatives (2015), which toured New Zealand and to the Seoul International Dance Festival; The Weight of Force (2016), which premiered at the Hong Kong Arts Festival and then toured to Singapore; Area² (2017) an international collaboration with Singapore’s T.H.E Dance Company; and System (2018) which premiered at Auckland’s Tempo Dance Festival.
Muscle Mouth’s first work for 2019 is As It Stands, a major new commission from the Auckland Arts Festival, after which the company travels home for the Wellington
premiere of System. This promises to be a welcome return for company as they have not performed in Wellington since 2015.
For 1min video promo and imagery visit musclemouth.co.nz/system
System plays
Dates:Wed 20 - Sat 23 March; 8pm
Venue:Te Auaha, 65 Dixon Street, Wellington
Tickets:$18 - $25 (Booking fees may apply)
Bookings:www.fringe.co.nz plus door sales