The accession of ‘KING’
When Shaun Parker and Company premiered KING in Sydney back in 2019, it received rave reviews. An “inspired collaboration” between Bulgarian singer/songwriter Ivo Dimchev and Parker’s complex choreography, this is a “well thought out and cleverly devised piece of dance theatre” that makes the mind boggle at the “depth of thought and intellectual process” that went into making it, according to Dance Australia’s critic, Geraldine Higginson. KING toured the Middle East and Austria after its 2019 launch and was set to tour Europe in 2020 and beyond until Covid hit.
The cast of 10 dancers come from all around the country (Sydney, regional NSW, Melbourne, Canberra, Darwin and Tasmania], a mix of cultural backgrounds (including Maori, Indonesian, Filipino, Ecuadorian) and diverse dance backgrounds. Among them is actor Toby Derrick (Neighbours, Underbelly) whose character emerges as the alpha dominant who not only claims power, but is given power via the group.
While the subject is raw, KING has been described as enthralling entertainment.
‘KING’ is being relaunched in Sydney in February for Sydney WorldPride Arts ahead of a European tour. Seymour Centre Sydney’s Everest Theatre, February 28 to March 4.
