Dancenorth Australia

05/06/2026

What an incredible season of RED at RISING Festival so far.

“Spell-binding”
“A work that should not be missed.”
- Suzanne Conway, ARTSHUB

We recognise RED carries an emotional weight; and we are grateful for the openness and courage with which people are meeting this work.

Just 3 shows remain. Tickets are limited. Book now via https://2026.rising.melbourne/program/red

~

Image by David Kelly 2023
Featuring Michael Smith

05/06/2026

Thanks to ABC North Queensland for this yarn with Aunty Ros about our time in Mitakoodi Country and surrounding regions (Cloncurry, Julia Creek and Dajarra) this week.

In all, we got to share the universal language of dance with 135 people, in 9 workshops, over 3 days.

Listen to Aunty share more with Mornings presenter Susan Graham-Ryan here: https://tinyurl.com/y834tue6

✨ DANCING ON COUNTRY AND FINDING CONNECTION ✨

Communities across North West Queensland have been moving a little differently this week.

Kids, seniors and everyone in between took part in dance and movement workshops across Cloncurry, Julia Creek and Dajarra, led by Rosalind Sailor and Linda Oliver who belong to the historical groups of the Mitakoodi nations.

“Bringing home something like this is so valuable and important,” Ms Sailor told QLD Mornings host Susan Graham-Ryan.

“This is something children out this way never get to see.”

Ms Sailor and Ms Oliver conducted the workshops across Mitakoodi Country as part of a micro-residency with renowned dance company, Dancenorth Australia. The pair were joined by Dancenorth ensemble members Damian Meredith, Felix Sampson, Tiana Lung, Aleeya McFadyen-Rew and Jag Popham.

Ms Sailor said it was a joy to collaborate with the renowned company and share what dance can mean.

“We wanted to leave a taste of what dance means and that it is a language for all, no matter what background we all come from,” she said.

Reflecting on the experience, Ms Sailor said she hopes to do it again and keep inspiring children in regional and remote areas to know “there are greater and bigger things out there to pursue.”

“Planting that seed, that’s how I see it.”

🎧 Listen back to the broadcast via the ABC listen app or here: https://tinyurl.com/y834tue6

05/06/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

Some highlights from last year include:
👉🏽 Presenting 7 new works
👉🏽 Continuing development on an additional 2 new works
👉🏽 Employing 86 artists and arts workers, primarily at our homebase in regional North Queensland
👉🏽 Hosting 54 Secondments and interns
👉🏽 Reaching a total audience of 2,746 people in Gurambilbarra (Townsville) and across Australia; and
👉🏽Sharing free classes, workshops, and experiences with 8,452 people, mostly in regional, rural and remote North Queensland.

𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱.

Every donation to Dancenorth supports our three key pillars: New Work + Touring; Artist Development programs; and Community Experience offerings. Together, these programs deliver immeasurable (but undeniable) artistic, social and economic impact for the communities we serve.

If you’ve enjoyed our work, please consider making a tax-deductible donation before 30 June. It’s not just a gift, but an investment in a more creative, connected and compassionate world.

Donations can be made via our website: https://dancenorth.com.au/support-us

04/06/2026

A spell-binding opening night of RED at RISING Festival last night.

We extend our deepest love, gratitude and admiration to Sabine and Michael for their vulnerability and dedication to embodying the weight and intensity of this work.

“Though their physicality is breathtaking, it never feels like a display of skill. The storytelling is primordial – enigmatic, visceral and utterly immersive.”
- Audience Member, Opening Night

We’re feeling energised and ready to share RED again tonight. Limited tickets remain. Book now via https://2026.rising.melbourne/program/red

~

Image by Aaron Ashley 2026
Featuring Sabine Crompton-Ward and Michael Smith

03/06/2026

RED recently featured in A Dance Mag alongside a remarkable lineup of Australian dance companies and independent artists presenting works in Rising Festival's inaugural Australian Dance Biennale 2026.

"Many of the works seem to be asking audiences what happens when human ambition outpaces its wisdom, when we build something we can no longer control and when the creator becomes indistinguishable from the destroyer."
- Leila Lois

Check out the full article via the link below.

Leila Lois speaks to the artists of Melbourne's RISING Dance Biennale and reveals a programme that feels urgent, uncomfortably alive, and may have saved an important contemporary dance festival.

02/06/2026

RED opens at .melbourne tomorrow.
 
Co-Artistic Director Amber Haines spoke with Aussie Theatre about the season earlier this month.
 
“RED began with a curiosity about our relationship to the natural world and the perilous illusion that we are separate from it. We were exploring interdependence, relationality, fragility, and the consequences of disconnection.
 
“It is a deeply intimate piece that interrogates our place within an ever-changing and intricately woven web, and the systems and constructs that no longer serve, but stifle us.
 
“Immersive, arresting and expansive, RED is a visceral encounter that you feel in the body.”

You can read the full article via the link in our bio.
 
The first two shows have sold out. Limited tickets remain. Book now.
 
~
 
Video by Amber Haines
Edit by
Featuring Marlo Benjamin and Nelson Earl

02/06/2026

RED opens at RISING Festival tomorrow.

Co-Artistic Director Amber Haines spoke with Aussie Theatre about the season earlier this month.

“RED began with a curiosity about our relationship to the natural world and the perilous illusion that we are separate from it. We were exploring interdependence, relationality, fragility, and the consequences of disconnection.

“It is a deeply intimate piece that interrogates our place within an ever-changing and intricately woven web, and the systems and constructs that no longer serve, but stifle us.

“Immersive, arresting and expansive, RED is a visceral encounter that you feel in the body.”

You can read the full article here: https://www.aussietheatre.com.au/features/amber-haines-on-red-and-the-power-of-contemporary-dance/

Tickets are selling fast. Book now via https://2026.rising.melbourne/program/red

~

Video by Amber Haines
Edit by Aaron Ashley
Featuring Marlo Benjamin and Nelson Earl

26/05/2026

RED opens at Rising Festival in Naarm (Melbourne) next week.

RED is an uncompromising duet set inside a large transparent inflatable dome - a modern parable of two bodies moving within a world that can no longer sustain them.

As air slowly disappears, their plight becomes an allegory for a rapidly contracting world.

RED exposes a stark metaphor for our age: a world at its limits, where ecological crises are bound together and bodies must adapt to survive within failing systems.

Epic, poetic and intimate, RED illuminates the challenge of preserving our humanity in a world under pressure.

Catch us performing at The Lawler, Southbank Theatre from 3-7 June. Book now via https://2026.rising.melbourne/program/red

~

Video by Amber Haines
Edit by Aaron Ashley
Featuring Marlo Benjamin and Nelson Earl

21/05/2026

Can’t dance? No worries.

Our Dance For Absolute Beginners class series is an introductory experience to dance, for absolute beginners. No experience or natural skill is necessary.

This six-week series helps participants to feel more at ease and in tune with their bodies, discover their own natural groove, and feel connected to a welcoming, dance-loving community.

Join us for great tunes, new moves, social connections and all-round good vibes.

Dates: Thursday nights (4 June - 9 July)
Time 5:45pm - 7pm
Venue: Dancenorth Theatre, Gurambilbarra (Townsville)

For more details, and to register, visit https://dancenorth.com.au/events/dance-class/dance-for-absolute-beginners-1 or give us a call on 07 4772 2549.

20/05/2026

Just two weeks until RED is revealed at Rising Melbourne.

Epic, poetic and intimate, RED illuminates the challenge of preserving our humanity in a world under pressure.

“Breathtaking in its intimacy and virtuosity”
- Christine Rossouw, SCENESTR

We’re excited to share this work with audiences in Naarm (Melbourne) at The Lawler, Southbank Theatre from 3-7 June.

For more details, and to book tickets, visit https://dancenorth.com.au/works/red

~

Images by David Kelly, 2023
Featuring Marlo Benjamin and Nelson Earl