CUDDLE An Intimate Dance Heist From Two Rising Stars Comes To Melbourne This February

A dynamic and difficult duel filled with surprises, CUDDLE ebbs and flows through the joyful and riotous to the inventive and technically brilliant.

With the energy of an underground fight club, Harrison Ritchie-Jones and Michaela Tancheff weave contemporary dance with elements from martial arts, figure skating, rodeo barnyard dance and a host of more abstract inspirations.

Filled with surreal sonic and visual treats, CUDDLE surprised and delighted a small one-off showing at Chunky Move in March 2023. Following further development and exploration, CUDDLE will kick off the Arts House’s Season 1, 2024.

Choreographer and performer, Harrison Ritchie-Jones, explains that CUDDLE uses humour and absurdity mixed with hard core technique to strike a balance of not knowing when to laugh, feel scared or be moved.

“During our development of CUDDLE, Michaela and I mastered various forms of partner work. We would wear heavy duty ice hockey gear and balaclavas, usually practicing in car parks and public spaces,” says Ritchie-Jones.

“As we prepared to fight out the dance of our lives, we would do early morning runs pumping out Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger to build ourselves up like warriors mentally and physically. We cannot wait to share this energy with audiences at Arts House in February,” said Ritchie-Jones.

Arts House Acting Artistic Director, Olivia Anderson, highlighted that the excitement and word-of-mouth surrounding CUDDLE has been palpable since its intimate, one-off showing a year ago.

“CUDDLE is a witty, wild and wonderful work of dance from one of Australia’s most bright and daring talents. We are privileged and thrilled to be presenting it at Arts House,” said Anderson.

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Harrison Ritchie-Jones

Harrison Ritchie-Jones graduated from Victorian College of the Arts in 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance). In 2013, he received the Victorian College of the Arts Undergraduate Most Outstanding Creative Scholarship and in 2018, he was nominated for a Green Room Award for Best Male Performer. He has collaborated with some of Australia’s best choreographers, including Stephanie Lake, Graeme Murphy, Jo Lloyd, Antony Hamilton, Lucy Guerin, Alistair Macindoe, Prue Lang, Shelly Lasica, Rebecca Hilton and Rebecca Jensen.

CUDDLE – Harrison Ritchie-Jones

20 – 25 February 2024

7.30pm Tue – Sat, 5pm Sun

Duration 60 minutes

Wed 21 Feb – Post-show artist talk

Thu 22 Feb – Tactile tour and audio described performance

Arts House – North Melbourne Town Hall

521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne

$35 Standard ticket + transaction fee

$20 Reduced ticket + transaction fee

$10 BLAKTIX + transaction fee

artshouse.com.au or (03) 9322 3720

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