Dancenorth Australia

29/07/2026

𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧

We’re delighted to be part of the North Australian Festival of Arts (NAFA) again this October.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻…

Bodies drift through detailed worlds where beauty emerges from unrest.

Inspired by the emotional intensity, psychological vulnerability, and illusionistic depth of Renaissance imagery, Sleepless Ones inhabits invented realms charged with light; cloaked in shadow; and alive with quiet chaos.

History and myth are reimagined as caricatures of heroes and fools traverse intimate, surreal and emotionally heightened terrain. Haunted by their own potential, these restless souls find themselves suspended between who they are and who they long to be.

Epic themes.
Intricate detail.
Absurdity that echoes current times.

This October, award-winning artists Michelle Heaven and Ben Cobham fuse iconic imagery, compelling choreography and filmic scores to deliver a cinematic-like dance experience with Townsville’s celebrated Dancenorth Ensemble.

𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: 𝟭-𝟯 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿
𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀: 𝟳𝗽𝗺 (𝗧𝗛𝗨-𝗦𝗔𝗧) | 𝟵𝗽𝗺 (𝗦𝗔𝗧)
𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲: 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲

Tickets are on sale now. For more information, and to book, head to https://dancenorth.com.au/works/sleepless-ones

27/07/2026

Currently in residence as part of our A.R.T. Program, choreographer and creative pioneer 𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗼 has returned to his birthplace of Gurambilbarra (Townsville) to undertake the creative development of a powerful new dance work that traces the intersections of DNA, family, spirituality, memory and legacy.

A defining feature of the development is the cast itself. Four dancers from raymond’s bloodline appear in the work, including his nephew/son, Waangenga Blanco and granddaughter, Brianna Kemmerling, creating a rare intergenerational collaboration where artistic practice and family history become inseparable.

At the heart is a deeply personal exploration of raymond’s Torres Strait Islander, Aboriginal, Filipino, Malaysian and Jamaican ancestry, alongside his family's long relationship with Christianity, cultural practice and identity. Through movement, he reflects on the idea of legacy and the invisible contracts carried through generations, ultimately asking; 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥?

For more information about this project, visit https://www.blakdance.org.au/profile-projects/raymondblanco

PICTURED: Aba Bero (standing), Brianna Kemmerling, Harlisha Newie-Joe, Tameeka Cora, Tessarna Cora. CREDIT: BlakDance.

18/07/2026

"Beneath its playful and often humorous surface lies a thought-provoking exploration of humanity’s evolving relationship with AI. The work raises questions about trust, control and collaboration, suggesting both the possibilities and the unease that accompany our growing reliance on intelligent technologies. It asks whether we should embrace AI as a creative partner or remain wary of its influence, and wisely avoids offering easy answers."

Thank you, Andrew Snee, for this insightful review of last night's performance.

Read the full review here:

Melbourne-based choreographer and director Alisdair Macindoe brings his innovative contemporary dance work Plagiary to Townsville for a limited three-night season. The production might be likened to a sophisticated and thought-provoking reimagining of Simon Says, with an AI-generated narrator delive...

17/07/2026

𝗜𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Some of the night’s stand out prompts included:
+ You’re a demolition vehicle
+ A staring contest at a breakfast table full of Roombas; and
+ Bobby Fischer orchestrates a single sum conundrum on a kitchen tile.

But tonight’s final show will be entirely different, yet again.

Join us at 7pm for the closing performance.

Tickets: https://dancenorth.com.au/works/plagiary

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Images by Tszar

17/07/2026

𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁’𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆:
+ Alec’s bath plug interpretation
+ Michael’s convoluted solo with pigeons
+ The group embodying a bellhop in a seam; and
+ Sabine’s escalating nervous tic.

The show's AI prompts were complex, random and nonsensical – and the cast did an astonishing job at keeping up with it all.

What might happen in today's shows?

Tickets are still available. If your curiosity is piqued, come and join us!

Tickets: https://dancenorth.com.au/works/plagiary

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Images by Aaron Ashley

16/07/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁’𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆.

Created by award-winning choreographer and dance technologist Alisdair Macindoe, Plagiary challenges the Dancenorth Ensemble to create a new show live each night.

The show features an artificial intelligence – custom-built, coded and programmed by Alisdair himself – that acts as a speaking choreographer, guiding the dancers through a journey of improvised movement, unpredictable scenes and beautiful chaos.

The meaning of it all? That lies with you.

"Plagiary, and this novel way of creating dance, are both a study of the technologies that we’re surrounded by and a reflection on how they affect us in our daily lives.”
- Alisdair Macindoe, Director and Creator of Plagiary

Don’t miss your chance to see this captivating dance experiment. 4 shows only. Grab tickets via our website, or at the door. Tonight’s show starts at 7pm.

Tickets: https://dancenorth.com.au/works/plagiary

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Images by Aaron Ashley

15/07/2026

𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆: 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿

Leading the upcoming 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 class series is 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵 (they/he), an award-winning artist working within contemporary dance, dance-theatre, film and literature.

With Q***rness as a driving force in their process-ing, Michael foregrounds the body in a practice that experiments with and empowers modes of existence from the peripheries of dominant narratives and societal norms.

Michael is currently an Ensemble dancer / performer with Dancenorth Australia; an Artistic Advisor with The Farm, a physical theatre / contemporary dance company based in Yugumbeh (Gold Coast); and co-founder of CROOKED: A Defiant Q***r Publication born in the dust and heat of regional Queensland and due for release in November 2026.

𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹’𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟮𝟮 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟮 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁.

To learn more and register, head to https://dancenorth.com.au/events/dance-class/crooked-contemporary

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Image by Amber Haines

14/07/2026

Last night we gathered with members of our community for 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆, an intimate conversation with award-winning choreographer and dance technologist Alisdair Macindoe and members of the Dancenorth Ensemble ahead of the opening of 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆 this Thursday.

It was fascinating to hear about Alisdair's ongoing exploration of AI-generated dance instruction, the skill demanded of dancers delivering rapid-fire improvisational performance, and how human-ness remains at the heart of a work so seemingly tech-heavy.

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮, 𝗚𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮 (𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲) 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 (𝟭𝟲-𝟭𝟴 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆).

For more information and tickets, visit https://events.humanitix.com/dancenorth-presents-plagiary

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Images by Aaron Ashley

14/07/2026

Did you catch this piece in the Townsville Bulletin's NQ Weekend on Saturday?

'Plagiary' opens this Thursday.

For full details and tickets, visit our website.

Eight dancers move around the stage in what could be described as beautiful chaos. The voice in their ears is not a director, a stage manager or a pre-recorded script. It is artificial intelligence, feeding instructions in real time – some poetic, some bizarre, some strangely profound.

10/07/2026

Plagiary opens next week!

How will the Dancenorth Ensemble respond to 60 minutes of unpredictable, AI-generated instructions?

There’s only one way to find out.

Join us as our Ensemble turns chaos into art – creating a thought-provoking, unique, and delightfully entertaining performance right before your eyes.

"Plagiary showed that humans can respond creatively to AI, but that AI can’t yet replace human creativity.”
- Savannah Indigo, ARTSHUB

Book now via https://dancenorth.com.au/works/plagiary
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Video by Video by James Lauritz and Sam Mcglip
Edit by Tszar - Artist Aaron Ashley
Featuring Alisdair Macindoe