Only from the imaginings of choreographer Phillip Adams could this fantasia of contemporary movement and exotic birdlife set against the avian-inspired 20th Century idiom of French composer, Oliver Messiaen's ‘Catalogue d'Oiseaux' (1958) come forth. Between the twitchy agitation of British New Wave, recordings of birdsong and the paradise of the New Guinea jungle, Aviary is an experience unlike any other.
A work for the caged bird, Aviary builds links between Messiaen's colourful exploration of birdsong and music, choreography and staging to produce an experimental interpretation of his scores.
WORLD PREMIERE
Melbourne Festival 2011
Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall
19 – 23 October 2011
TOURING
MONA FOMA 2012
Theatre Royal, Hobart
14 – 17 January 2012
"It's massively brave dance making" - John Bailey (Capital Idea, blog)
"With the sold-out season of BalletLab's Aviary: A Suite for the Bird, Phillip Adams reaffirms his status not just as an edgy choreographer but a major artist ... Aviary is a work in archetypal BalletLab style that challenges as much as it delivers. Love him or hate him, Phillip Adams is a game-changing pace-setter in contemporary dance." - Rita Dimasi, ArtsHub
"In Aviary, Phillip Adams creates dance of such intensity that it plunges the watcher into the experience, destroying any sense of distance from the work on stage ... Whatever else it is, Aviary is extraordinary." -Alison Croggon (Theatre Notes, blog)
CREATIVE TEAM
Direction, Choreography and Set Design: Phillip Adams
Performed by: Phillip Adams, Luke George, Daniel Jaber, Rennie McDougall, Brooke Stamp, Joanne White, Peter AB Wilson
Costumes: Toni Maticevski
Millinery: Richard Nylon
Composition: David Franzke and Phillip Adams
Nests: Matthew Bird, Architect
Curtain painting: Gavin Brown
Lighting: Benjamin Cisterne
Production Management: Tom Webster for traffic light