Explore the unique art of modern dance in Australia from its philosophies and ideologies to its defining aesthetic legacy.

Four days of dance performances and a one-day seminar celebrate 80 years of Australian dance culture, hosted by NGV Australia in Fed Square.

Dancing Sculpture
10-13 August
Ecstatic, theatrical and sensual – experience modern dance and its transformation of movement and gesture in the 20th century with performances of Carol Brown’s Acts of Becoming (1995) and a reconstruction of Gertrud Bodenwieser’s Demon Machine (1924) performed by VCA Dancers.

Leap into the Modern: Dance Culture in Australia from the 1930s
12 August
Dance practitioners, performers, academics, students and the public are invited to attend a one day symposium looking at the creative and historical context of modern dance in Australia from the 1930s to the present day. Exploring the unique art of modern dance from its philosophies and ideologies to its defining aesthetic legacy, keynote presentations will be delivered from dance artists, local and international practitioners, academics and critics. Highlights include oral histories, recorded presentations, film and performance.