One Infinity

“A collaboration of staggering ambition, realised with a level of finesse that makes it a privilege to experience.”
The Music

Sound and movement combine to create the hypnotic and meditative ritual One Infinity. Inspired by a Chinese ancient tale, this cross-cultural collaboration brings eastern and western traditions together for a shared experience of beauty and contemplation.

When Australian recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey spent time with guqin master Wang Peng of Beijing’s Jun Tian Fang Music Ensemble, neither could have imagined what extraordinary work they would create together. Adding director and choreographer Gideon Obarzanek and composer Max de Wardener to the process led to the creation of a transformative immersion in music and dance.

One Infinity is an entirely new experience. What begins as a concert of hauntingly beautiful music soon reveals another dimension, as dancers from Beijing Dance Theatre and Dancenorth Australia echo the sounds with their gently shifting bodies. Masterful choreography and everyday movement, ritual and improvisation, nature and civilisation are all driven into a state of flux in this stunning immersive experience.

Credits

Direction & Choreography Gideon Obarzanek

Composers Max de Wardener, Genevieve Lacey, Wang Peng

Associate Choreographer Amber Haines

Lighting Designer Damien Cooper

Sound Designer Jim Atkins

Costume Designer Harriet Oxley

Set Designers Gideon Obarzanek & Damien Cooper

Participant Director Paea Leach

Dancers | Beijing Dance Theatre

Ma Chao, Niu Huaiyu, Guo Wei, Hou Ying, Wang Yuxin

Dancers | Dancenorth

Samantha Hines, Mason Kelly, Jenni Large, Georgia Rudd, Felix Sampson

Musicians Liu Xiao Gang (Jun Tian Fang), Genevieve Lacey, Zhang Lu (Jun Tian Fang), Zhuo Ran (Jun Tian Fang) and Wang Peng (Jun Tian Fang)

Acknowledgements

Produced by Planking Productions and Jun Tian Fang featuring Jun Tian Fang Music Ensemble, Dancenorth Australia, and Beijing Dance Theatre.

This project was commissioned by PlayKing and has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Major Festivals Initiative, managed by the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals Inc., commissioned by Melbourne International Arts Festival, Sydney Festival and Perth Festival.