KAGE Premieres OUT OF EARSHOT at Melbourne International Jazz Festival

"In Deaf culture, movement is equivalent to sound. Sound doesn't have to be something that is only felt through the ears, it can be felt tactually or experienced as a visual or even as an idea." - American Deaf Visual Artist: Christine Sun Kim

Through an unusual collaboration to create surprising and thrilling dance theatre, KAGE presents Out of Earshot, a work that explores the power of non-verbal language, intense physical prowess and the role that sound plays within communication and interaction.

Challenging the notion and definition of musical and physical performance, Out of Earshot is directed by KAGE Artistic Director, Kate Denborough; features profoundly Deaf dancer, Anna Seymour; New Zealand's visceral drummer, Myele Manzanza; as well as dancers Elle Evangelista, Timothy Ohl and KAGE Creative Director Gerard Van Dyck.
Featuring four dancers who will turn bodies into voices and respond to Manzanza's explosive live drumming score, Out of Earshot reveals an insight into the Deaf experience, where emotion is expressed through vibrations and rhythm moving through the bodies.

Throughout a two-year development period, Denborough has undertaken Auslan classes and collaborated closely with Seymour, the ensemble and creative team to create Out of Earshot - a palpable and perceptible experience that will premiere at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

Manzanza explains that during the creation of Out of Earshot he has learnt the power of the connection between rhythm and dance, "Being a jazz musician I'm always looking to find new sounds, textures and ideas in real time and in the moment. I never realised that that same ethos could translate so deeply with dancers. I'm excited by the new paths we are discovering when musicians and dancers work together to find a new shared language."

Denborough highlights that throughout 2017 KAGE will celebrate a milestone anniversary, "As KAGE celebrates 20 years of creating dance theatre, the desire for continuous exploration and discovery, along with a collaborative ideology, is still our central focus. We create performances that relate and respond to current social thinking and strive to develop an unparalleled and distinctive sensibility, style and aesthetic."

Concept and Direction: Kate Denborough Performers: Anna Seymour, Myele Manzanza, Elle Evangelista, Timothy Ohl and Gerard Van DyckLighting Design: Paul Jackson and Stephen Hawker

For tickets and more information, visit kage.com.au or trybooking.com/NWFF.

Photo credit: Jeff Busby