Image Credit: Tamarah Scott & Davey Simmons
A significant new dance work by Joel Bray, MONOLITH transforms colonised bodies into sites of silent protest.
Floating on a dystopian island designed by artist Jake Preval, five powerful female dancers craft a sinewy, muscular and androgynous choreographic language. Moving to the delicate and driving beats of celebrated composer Matthias Schack-Arnott, these fierce Brown women present themselves as an obstacle, as resistance to the colonising power.
Together, they evoke a monolith – one of the enormous ancient rock formations that ‘sit-in’ the landscape and defy the colonisation, deforestation and urbanisation of surrounding Country.
Echoing and honouring generations of protest and rebellion, MONOLITH is a powerful and undeniable work from one of our most celebrated creators.
Co-commissioned by BlakDance and Abbotsford Convent through our commissioning program PLATFORM.
World Premiere
Presented by Arts House and RISING
Tuesday 3 June – Sunday 15 June 2025
CREATIVE TEAM
Director/ Choreographer: Joel Bray
Performers: Zoe Brown-Holten, Samakshi Sidhu, Katherine Hegeman, Nadiyah Akbar, Tamara Bouman (original devising cast member), Glory Tuohy-Daniell, Understudy: Sammie Lester
Composer: Matthias Schack-Arnott
Set and Costume Design: Jake Preval
Lighting Design: Katie Sfetkidis
Intimacy Coordinator: Amy Cater
Cultural Support: Tony Briggs
Project Elder: Uncle Christopher Kirkbright
Executive Producer (JBD): Veronica Bolzon
Assistant Producer (JBD): Luke Fryer
Rehearsal Director: Siobhan Mckenna
Stage Manager: Rain Iyahen
Production Manager: Siobhain Geaney
Associate Lighting Designer: Spencer Herd
The Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body; the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria; the Major Festivals Initiative Seed Funding; The Queensland Performing Arts Centre; and through the First Nations New Work Platform – an initiative of BlakDance and the Abbotsford Convent made possible with the support of the Australian Government’s Indigenous Languages and Arts Program, the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, Arts House and Dancehouse. Thanks also to Joel Bray Dance’s donors and supporters for the generous support through our matched funding campaign 2024.