A partnership with the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) 

Archie 100 is a national touring exhibition showcasing a hundred portraits from a century of the Archibald Prize. In an exciting partnership with MAGNT, Tracks presented New Light, a choreographic response to 100 years of Australian portraiture.

A bold and collaborative partnership between Tracks Dance Company and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, New Light enlivened both inside and outside spaces in and around the gallery precinct. Northern Territory choreographers featured in 8 short works in response the Archies 100 exhibition, dance artists of diverse ages, trainings, and cultural backgrounds. The choreography drew on the overarching conceptual themes of the Archies. The works were created and performed in situ in the museum, enabling visitors to experience art being made in front of them.  

Audiences saw the Museum and Art Gallery in a New Light as they promenaded through both backstage and public areas, seeing dance performances in unusual placements. Themes ranged from Artists Wielding the Brush (self-portraiture), the intimacy of Familiarity (people we know well as subject matter), What Lies Beneath (the unconscious mind), Recasting The Gaze (female artists ), Local Heroes and National Icons (respected but unknown personalities), or even In Polite Company (politics and religion).

An artist talk also took place with 7 of the 8 of the choreographers and MAGNT curator Bryony Nainby. Visual art is often concrete and the work can be viewed repeatedly over time, returning at your leisure, and the subject is the focus of the finished work. Choreography and dance performance exist in different time frames where the live performance happens in front of you over a set time. How do these two ideas come together? This talk explored how we curate a live performance, and how this might enhance audiences and visitors to engage both intellectually and viscerally with the art.

When: Choreographic Residency in MAGNT 15 May- 25 June 2023

Artist Talk: Choreographers and MAGNT Curator Bryony Nainby 11am, Sat June 17th 2023

New Light Programme PDF

 

Concept and Creative Direction: David McMicken and Jessica Devereux

Choreographers: Venaska Cheliah, Steph Spillett, Rachael Wallis with Banula Marika, Kelly Beneforti, Kate Mornane, Jessica Devereux, Gary Lang, and David McMicken

Production Manager: Duane Preston

Technicians: Miki Ensbey, Shaun Trainor

Head Ushers: David Taylor, Maari Gray, Bryn Wackett

Front of House Volunteers: Mandy Trueman, Matheesha Katuwawala, Helen De Silva, Nikki Charlesworth-Canning, Lucy Owen, Darryl Butler, Peter Stretton, Amanda Denton

Marketing and Administration: Debbie Jane Micairan

Photo Documentation: Duane Preston

Video Documentation: Mitch Drescher (MD Video)

Company Partners

Tracks Inc is proudly sponsored by the Northern Territory Government.

Project Partner

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT)

Tracks 2023

Artistic Director: David McMicken
Associate Artistic Director: Jess Devereux
Creative Producer: Britt Guy
Production Manager: Duane Preston
Dance Animateurs: Kelly Beneforti and Steph Spillett
Administrator: Debbie Micairan
Bookkeeper: It Figures
Auditors: Brian Tucker Audit

Committee Members: Chairperson: Max Dewa Stretton. Treasurer: Glenn Bernardin. Ordinary Members: Andrea Wicking, David Taylor, Ken Conway, Lachlan Peattie, Rachael Wallis, Anna Lindsay. Ex-Officio: David McMicken, Tim Newth (on leave 2023)

Public Fund Trustees: Maari Gray and Michael Grant