★★★★☆
Now in its fourth iteration, Australasian Dance Collective’s triple bill THREE returns to the Brisbane Powerhouse, showcasing two brand new works and a Queensland premiere.
THREE serves as a fertile ground for artistic risk, and this year’s program is no exception. Featuring MAARUNG by Joel Bray, CUDDLE by Harrison Ritchie-Jones and BROG by Amber McCartney, the evening unfolds like a thoughtfully curated meal, with each work offering a distinct flavour and emotional texture.
Opening the evening is MAARUNG by Joel Bray. Meaning “circle” in Bray’s Wiradjuri language, the work reflects on the cyclical nature of life, contemplating ageing, change and the passage of time.
Performed by Company Artists Jack Lister, Sam Hall, Lilly King, Taiga Kita-Leong, Lily Potger and Te Atawhai Kaa, the piece is distinguished by its commitment to storytelling. Rather than simply showcasing technical prowess, the dancers remain deeply connected to one another, imbuing every movement with emotional intention and narrative purpose.
Bray’s choreography has a remarkable sense of flow. Movements ripple seamlessly from one performer to the next, creating the feeling of an unbroken cycle that mirrors the work’s central themes.
Louis Frere-Harvey’s original score provides a rich emotional foundation, subtly supporting the shifting moods without ever overwhelming the choreography. Bethany Cordwell’s costumes celebrate individuality, with each dancer wearing a unique design unified by delicate blue accents. Together they create cohesion while allowing each performer to retain their own identity.
One of the work’s most striking images sees the six dancers continually reshaping sculptural tableaux while rotating together as a single organism. The effect is hypnotic, serving as a poetic reminder that the world never stands still. Life moves in cycles, people change, and we continue to grow alongside one another.
For the night’s main course, CUDDLE, by Harrison Ritchie-Jones, is unlike anything I’ve seen before, or am likely to see again. It gives new meaning to the often-overused word unforgettable.
Presented as a duet, CUDDLE is framed as a heist. A short pre-recorded video introduces two balaclava-clad performers (Ritchie-Jones and Michaela Tancheff) before the entangled pair tumble into a space configured like a wrestling ring.
The audience surrounds the performance area, some seated and others standing, creating an immersive atmosphere. It also provides the unusual opportunity to watch fellow audience members react as the work unfolds.
Humour, still surprisingly rare in contemporary dance, sits at the heart of the piece, alongside absurdity and astonishing physical skill. Tancheff and Ritchie-Jones execute an extraordinary range of partner work, drawing on martial arts, figure skating, rodeo-inspired movement and more abstract physical vocabularies to create something entirely original.
Live cinematography by Babi Bertoldi is projected onto a giant upstage screen, with two additional monitors flanking the space. At times, overhead camera angles reveal intricate movement patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed, adding another fascinating layer to the choreography.
As the work progresses, the balaclavas remain firmly in place while layers of clothing gradually disappear, prompting the partial nudity warning. This may unsettle some audience members, but it never feels gratuitous or overtly sexual. Instead, it becomes another tool in the work’s exploration of vulnerability, absurdity and physicality.
At interval, we contemplated the theatricality of televised sport and professional wrestling, where elaborate narratives often underpin the physical spectacle.
CUDDLE impresses because it defies an easy categorisation. Traditional contemporary dance audiences may find themselves reaching for a wine afterwards to unpack what they’ve just witnessed, while my Gen Z guest declared it the undisputed highlight of the evening.
The evening concludes with my personal highlight, BROG by Amber McCartney. The six ADC Company Artists return to the stage, once again costumed by Bethany Cordwell, this time in matching neon-yellow unitards with strategically placed padding that transforms their silhouettes into something distinctly insect-like.
McCartney describes the work as a small ecosystem of bodies evolving under observation, and the choreography beautifully realises that vision. The dancers constantly reorganise themselves, shifting from a tightly connected collective into trios, pairs and ever-changing formations that feel organic, instinctive and mesmerising to witness.
Alisdair Macindoe’s pulsating score builds relentlessly towards a fever pitch, driving the ensemble into an exhilarating high energy sequence which is over far too soon. It is a thrilling conclusion to the evening and a reminder of what Australasian Dance Collective does so exceptionally well: creating contemporary dance that is intellectually engaging and viscerally exciting.
As a three-course theatrical feast, THREE is remarkably well balanced, offering moments of contemplation, surprise and exhilaration. Australasian Dance Collective once again demonstrates why it continues to be one of Australia’s most adventurous and exciting dance companies.
THREE is presented by Australasian Dance Collective and runs to 18 July at Brisbane Powerhouse, 119 Lamington Street New Farm Qld 4005.
Tickets: https://brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/australasian-dance-collective/
Website: https://australasiandancecollective.com/performances/2026/three-2026
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/australasiandancecollective/
Hero image: MAARUNG by Joel Bray. Photo by David Kelly
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