Between Tiny Cities at Arts Centre Melbourne
As part of Arts Centre Melbourne’s Big World, Up Close and Families Winter/Spring programs, Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រងុតូច is a dance work that represents the cultural exchange between Australian and Cambodian artists, taking over the State Theatre Rehearsal Room from 10 – 13 July these winter school holidays.
In this work, dancers Erak Mith, from Phnom Penh, and Aaron Lim, from Darwin, use the rituals, movement styles and language of their shared hip-hop culture to reveal the dramatically different worlds that surround them and uncover the choreographic links that unite them.
This is an immersive experience, with the performers up close, as the audience forms a circle to witness the playful and exploratory intensity of physical storytelling. Choreographed by internationally-renowned Sydney hip-hop dance artist Nick Power and accompanied by the beats and sound design of Jack Prest, the work blends the raw energy of b*boy battles with skillful improvisation and choreography, offering a cross-cultural perspective on style, community and locality.
The project is the result of a four-year dance exchange between Darwin’s D*City Rockers and Cambodia’s Tiny Toones youth program. The two crews have travelled, trained, battled and performed together, and Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រងុតូច, is the culmination of that exchange.
Premiering in Melbourne as part of 2017’s Dance Massive, Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រងុតូច has gone on to tour Australia, Asia and Europe including a skate venue in Phnom Penh, to European dance festivals such as Berlin's Tanz im August and Vienna's ImPulsTanz.
Between Tiny Cities is touring with the support of the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts. It was developed with the support of the Australian Government through the Catalyst – Australian Arts & Culture Fund, the Australia Council, Artback NT and Accomplice. It is produced by Intimate Spectacle, which is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts.
Arts Centre Melbourne’s year-round Families Program was launched in August 2009 and has grown in reputation to become a highly respected program nationally and internationally. Featuring intimate and large-scale theatre from some of the world’s most respected companies and a diverse range of interactive workshops, the program is robust and growing in size, scale and scope.
Arts Centre Melbourne’s highly acclaimed series Big World, Up Close amplifies vital voices in contemporary performance giving space for fierce storytellers to reclaim and reframe our view of the world today. These stories know no limits and are more urgent than ever. Woven from raw emotion, brutal truths and radical love each story speaks across the fault lines between ancestry and contemporary existence. This year, it turns the spotlight on First Nations artists from New Zealand, Canada and Australia, as well as those representing Cambodian, Malaysian and African diasporas – it’s a fearless new world in the making.
Creative Team
Choreographer: Nick Power
Dancers: Aaron Lim & Erak Mith
Sound Designer: Jack Prest
Designer: Bosco Shaw
Dramaturg: Lee Wilson
Creative Producer: Britt Guy – ACCOMPLICE
Tour Producer: Harley Stumm – Intimate Spectacle
Arts Centre Melbourne and Asia TOPA present
Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រងុតូច
State Theatre Rehearsal Room | 10 – 13 July 10 – 12 July | 6pm
13 July | 5pm & 7pm
Duration: 40 mins (no interval)
Age Suitability: 8+
Accessibility: Wheelchair Access, Companion Card, Visual Performance, Assistive Hearing Bookings at artscentremelbourne.com.au
Photographer: Pippa Samaya