A landmark piece of Australian contemporary dance is returning to the stage in Melbourne, with Chunky Move bringing back its influential work Glow nearly two decades after it first premiered.
Originally debuting at the 2006 Melbourne Festival, Glow quickly gained international attention for its unusual blend of dance and motion tracking technology. Over the years the work toured extensively across Australia and overseas, appearing in more than 40 cities and becoming Chunky Move’s most widely toured production.
Now the piece will return for a special anniversary season as part of the Australian Dance Biennale and the RISING festival, presented under the direction of Chunky Move Artistic Director Antony Hamilton.
“In remounting Chunky Move’s 2006 work Glow we are celebrating an Australian contemporary dance work of great significance.” says Chunky Move Artistic Director Antony Hamilton.
“In its time, Glow was a trailblazer of integrated design in new dance and performance, signalling artistic innovation and ambition that would become a hallmark of the company’s vision,” Hamilton said.
“Having been in the audience back then, Glow’s return is testament to its enduring qualities and it’s a great privilege to platform the work 20 years on for a new generation of audiences.”
Each performance will feature one of three dancers rotating through the role. Original performer Sara Black returns alongside current Chunky Move member Melissa Pham and independent artist Layla Meadow, with each bringing a different interpretation to the work.
Glow runs for 27 minutes and centres on a solo performer whose movements are tracked by beams of light generated through an interactive system created by German artist Frieder Weiss. The visuals respond instantly to the dancer’s body, creating shifting digital forms that blur the line between human movement and technology.
When it first premiered, the work won several major awards including a Green Room Award for design and Helpmann Awards for Best Female Dancer and Best Dance Work.
Nearly twenty years on, Glow remains a striking example of how technology and live performance can intersect on stage.
Glow runs from 27 May – 31 May 2026. Tickets are $39 available to purchase via 2026.rising.melbourne
