Bleach Festival on the Gold Coast
A good reason to head for the Gold Coast this winter, apart from the weather, is the Bleach Arts Festival. The annual contemporary arts event this year has a packed program, presenting over 30 shows and 110 performances of music, dance, theatre and visual art, from August 1 to 11.
The dance component of the festival has a focus on Melbourne choreographer Lucy Guerin, AO. "NewRetro: Duets", is a showcase of five of her duets: Melt: Part One, Incarnadine, How To Be Us, Split and Robbery Waitress on Bail. You can buy tickets to see them individually or a “marathon” ticket that takes in all five. And/or, for free you can see "NewRetro: 21 Works", an extensive film archive that showcases a remarkable body of work from Guerin’s 21-year career. And/or, you can hear the choreographer in conversation with Bleach Artistic Director Rosie Dennis. All LGI events are being held at the Home of the Arts (HOTA) from August 1 to 4.
At the HOTA lake, a duet of a different kind will take place, called Today I feel a soft breeze. Lucy Davenport and David McBride will dance on a floating stage for 24 hours from Saturday August 3 at 5pm to Sunday August 4 at 5pm.
Another free event is The Farm, the local, genre-bending, dance/performance group which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It is premiering a new work – and the audience is invited to see it being put together in the lead up to the opening night performance on August 10. Audiences need to turn up at North Burleigh Hub and watch the show come to life as the ensemble choreograph, write, film and rehearse in public.
Also at Burleigh is The Walking Track, a series of installations presented by First Nations company, Karul Projects.
Bleach Festival runs from August 1 to 11. More the full program go here.