Horizon - Kulka | cameronbsmithdesign

A woman in a red-brown leotard surrounded by eight other dancers wearing the same, all reaching their hands above her head. They are lit in cool white.

Two men in black crocodile-skin leotards lift a woman in a blue ruffled leotard into the air as if she were flying. Above them, a large mirror angled to reflect a top-down view towards the camera. They are lit in cool white and blue.

Four groups of a woman in a blue ruffled leotard and a man in a black crocodile-skin leotard, kneel on the ground in a diamond formation. Above them, a large mirror angled to reflect a top-down view towards the camera. They are lit in cool white.

Thirteen performers dressed in red-brown leotards or underwear, with red-brown paint splattered over their bodies, positioned to create a waveform with their bodies. Behind them, a wrinkled reflective surface lit in orange. They are lit in cool white.

Sixteen performers, seated cross-legged on the ground, wearing white ruffled pants, the females in black tops. They are in five columns, with two rows on the outside columns and four on the inside. They are lit in cool white.

Thirteen performers dressed in feathered shoulder pads, some standing, some kneeling, looking up to one performer thrown into the air, reaching upwards. Three large light beams point towards the centre action, one straight down, the others angled in. They are lit in cool white.

Horizon - Kulka

Bangarra Dance Theatre

Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre, June 2024

With Bangarra Dance Theatre Dancers

Choreography Sani Townson and Bangarra Dance Theatre Dancers

Composition Amy Flannery
Set Design Elizabeth Gadsby

Costume Design Clair Parker

Lighting Design Karen Norris

Video Design David Bergman
Associate Video Design Cameron Smith

Associate Set Design Shana O'Brien

There is a place between sea and sky — a sacred realm where the sun rises and falls and the light is new.

From two of the world’s great First Nations comes a brand-new work: Horizon. Some call it a feeling, some call it the mother spirit. It’s the place where sea meets sky, the horizon we all look to, the compass that guides us home.

In our first mainstage cross-cultural collaboration, leading Māori choreographer and Arts Laureate Moss Te Ururangi Patterson joins beloved Bangarra alumna Deborah Brown. Together, they guide our award-winning ensemble in stories that honour their mother countries and the spirit that calls them home.

Brown is a proud descendent of the Wakaid Clan and Meriam people in the Torres Strait and has heritage from far across the seas in Scotland. She carries strength and resilience from her ancestors. Patterson, born near Lake Taupō, is a proud mokopuna (grandson) of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa tribe, and describes his sense of home as something alive, a fire inside, that he carries like a beating heart.

To open the program, Saibailayg (Saibai Islander) Sani Townson expands his acclaimed work Kulka, debuted in Dance Clan in 2023, to make a thrilling opening piece, paying homage to Sani’s grandfather and his Torres Strait heritage.

Come explore the cultural forces that bind us together, across oceans and eons. Experience the resilience of the First Peoples of the Oceania region, that extends across the continent now known as Australia, the Torres Strait Islands and Aotearoa, our southern neighbour.

Horizon is a double bill opening with Kulka by Bangarra alum Sani Townson, followed by the primary piece, The Light Inside, choreographed by Bangarra alum Deborah Brown and Māori choreographer and Arts Laureate Moss Te Ururangi Patterson.

The Age ★ ★ ★ ★

"…as an expression of solidarity with the First Peoples of the Oceania region it nonetheless represents an important enlargement of the company’s core mission – and a new artistic frontier."

Theatre Matters ★ ★ ★ ★

"Horizon also takes both an unconventional and refreshing approach to storytelling. Stripping its performers of any apparent character development and role playing, the overall journey is about building the narrative through movement, mood, music, and multimedia"

The Sydney Morning Herald ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

"Horizon is a feast of cultural richness and groundbreaking innovation. It's one of the best things on Australian dance stages this year."

Bachtrack ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Bangarra, as a company, is a cultural gift, and Horizon beats like a collective heart. It is not to be missed."

CAMERON SMITH

Composition, Sound and Video Design

Horizon - Kulka