Fresh Tracks

July 19th
3:00 pm and 5:00 pm
$20, $15, $25 Arts Lover
Tracks Dance Studio, Harbourview Plaza

View Program Here

Now in its 10th year, Fresh Tracks offers dance artists the chance to present experimental works or pieces in progress. Participants are selected from our residencies, Choreolabs, and other initiatives, as well as our network of connected performers. This program aims to foster the growth of the dance community and audiences in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Fresh Tracks serves as a platform for diverse choreography, encouraging independent artists to take creative risks. Tracks supports these artists by providing studio space, creative guidance and mentoring, and production assistance to prepare their works for performance. This year, we showcase these new works in our studio in Darwin, followed by an artists' talk offering insights into creative processes. With many returning audience members, Fresh Tracks has become a valued event for dancers, supporters, and local artists. We hope to introduce new audience members to the richness and complexity of dance, encouraging them to become regular attendees.

Fresh New Works

Generating Divergence #4 - Senior Dancers with Kelly Beneforti, David McMicken, Alyson Evans and James Mangohig. From improvisational scores and storytelling, this work is a collaborative performance by Marian Patterson (creator but non-performer), Ellen Hankin, Darryl Butler, Clare Heath, Lyn Minchin, Natina Demetriou, Di Lucas, Katrina Harding, and Nikki Charlesworth Canning.

"This project began in 2023 to explore the capabilities, stories, and cultural differences of older adult dancers and professional artists in the Ageing Body. This year, we explored time and how moments are kept in our bodies; memories as children through to senior adulthood, memories of our grandchildren and grandparents. How do you dance pain and colour?  How does the aging body do things that used to come so naturally, and just what do we know about our Nanna's hands?"

Horror Noir #1 - James Mangohig. All cultures have deeply unsettling stories, often used to teach important lessons and remind us of the darker aspects of life. Drawing on his Filipino cultural background, James explores darker themes through sound, movement, and storytelling. Lead Dancer - Iselle Chua, with Cheenee Rosales, Allynna Batnag, Jhon Carlo Lomboy, and Ace Lothian.

This work explores the role dark stories play across cultures. Working with different communities has made me fascinated by the stories people tell about what not to do, where not to go, and what waits in the darkness.

That curiosity led me back to my Filipino heritage, where unsettling creatures, eerie legends, and haunting narratives inspired this work. Through sound, movement, and atmosphere, Horror Noir #1 explores fear not just as something terrifying, but as something cultural, inherited, and deeply human.

This work has been shaped by my collaboration with Iselle Chua, whom I first met in 2020 when I created an original work with the highly respected hip-hop crew PHLtheBeat. It has been a privilege to build this piece together, drawing from her personal experiences and creative vision. We're also incredibly grateful to Cheenee, Allynna, Jhon Carlo, and Ace for bringing this work to life!

Face Value - traversing the seen and unseen landscape of the aging human face. A collaborative work by Marita Smith, Maari Gray, Merrilee Mills and Bryn Wackett

"The work was sparked by a conversation with my mother in her 94th year of life. I asked her how she felt about her face. Her melancholic reply was... "I just don't look anymore". It got me thinking about why, why don't we look, really look at our ageing faces and value and celebrate them?"
Our project ‘in development’ has begun to explore 4 key ideas…
Tracing the lines: the origin of the concept of lines
Learning the lines: What are the processes involved in self-understanding here?
Mapping the lines: What are the connections between the landscape of the Earth/our lives/our hearts/our beliefs/our souls, and the landscape of our faces?
Living the lines: How do we move forward, as individuals and as a collective of older women, in light of this knowledge?
Photography- Brynn Wackett.
Music- Sheared by Julia Kent, To Speak of Solitude by Brambles
Poems - we gratefully acknowledge the following writers who have so generously permitted us to include their work
"Line" by Matt Donovan, "Face Lift" by Geraldine Connolly, "A Map Poem to End The Year" by Fran Wilde, and "I Bought a Coat" by Merrilee Mills
Special thanks to Karl Brand and all of the Tracks team.

Tap Katz - Rachael Wallis: a tap dance extravaganza, growing from our newest dance troupe. Tap brings much-needed joy to the world - a remedy for these times. 
Dancers: Clare Heath, India Grieson, Jasmin Srakaew-Stephenson, Lyn Minchin, Natina Demetriou, and Rachael Wallis.

"We started Tap Katz, our beginner tap classes, to see if there were any keen tappers in Darwin. And wow, were there ever! Now in its second term, the Tap Katz take the stage to showcase their skillz."