ADT to Dance Across the Mall

The Australian Dance Theatre’s (ADT) Adelaide Embedded project kicks off today, as the dance company looks to engage with local audiences beyond the theatre. The ADT dancers will perform in pop-up mode at Rundle Mall over the next three days. The first in its Adelaide Embedded series will see the dancers entertain audiences in a portable performance space, Ice Cube – a three-metre-square clear perspex cube. ADT Artistic Director Garry Stewart says Adelaide Embedded is part of a “different trajectory for the company to not only make works for the theatre but also make creative actions for public spaces”. “Not everyone wants to go to a theatre, but people who do go to the theatre want to consume art and interact with art in other spaces,” he explains. “We’re making bespoke pieces for the public environment. We’ve had a portable dancefloor made up and we can put that anywhere, we can plonk it near the [Riverbank] footbridge or in Victoria Square and have rehearsals or performances. We’re going to do a dance marathon at some point.” Stewart says these upcoming projects, which include the aforementioned Dance Marathon, Three Metres of Dance, a Forum Series and Home Art, will allow the company to evolve and realise that there is an audience beyond the theatre for the dance company, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. “We can be creative anywhere. It’s really great because it gives our dancers a fantastic outlet for their own creative ideas because I really want to work with them on the Adelaide Embedded ideas, and get them involved. We have a relationship with Larissa McGowan, who’s an ex-dancer for the company, she’s going to be doing a little bit of work for us co-choreographing new work. A lot of exciting things are happening.” Ice Cube will be in Rundle Mall today (Thursday, July 17), Friday, July 18 and Saturday, July 19 for three free unique 20-minute performances on each of the days (12pm, 1pm and 2pm) in front of the Mall’s Apple Store. The dance company recently premiered its exciting 3-D piece Multiverse and will be back in the theatre with its acclaimed 2012 work, Proximity, later this year. adt.org.au Multiverse photo: Chris Herzfeld