Australia’s Most Wanted 2002

Jul 23

Subtitled 'ballet for a contemporary democracy', Australia's Most Wanted presented dance as manufactured consumer product. Created from the results of a national survey sent out by Chunky Move (in cooperation with Ausdance) to over 2,800 members of the Australian public, Australia's Most Wanted… asked the question: 'what do Australians want to see in a dance work?' The thirty-five question survey asked participants to state their preferences in terms of all aspects of contemporary dance including choreographic and dance styles, number and gender of dancers, themes and narratives, costumes, lighting, music, sets, viewing position, and type of venue. After witnessing both major political parties fervently follow the polls in the previous Federal election, Chunky Move did something similar in order to ask what can happen when you give people what they want. In a world obsessed with capturing maximum market share, Australia’s Most Wanted… was dance as Frankenstein's monster, the contemporary choreographer gone mad.

WANTED was a double-bill that investigated what we want, whether as individuals and as a society, and its two works were thematically connected by their focus on the human pursuit of 'the ideal'.

Creative Team
Choreography Gideon Obarzanek in collaboration with the performers
Sound System Design Byron Scullin
Motion Graphics Design Michaela French
Costume Design Jane Summers-Eve
Design Collaborators Ben Cobham & Andrew Livingston/Bluebottle
Composition & additional Sound Design Luke Smiles/Motion Laboratories

Original Performers Fiona Cameron, Nicole Johnston, Antony Hamilton, Joel Corpuz, Kristy Ayre, Stephanie Lake, Luke George, Michelle Heaven

Narrator Donna Aston

Artistic Director Gideon Obarzanek
Executive Producer Vivia Hickman
Stage Manager Annette Dale
Production & Operations Manager Donna Aston

World Premiere
22 May 2002 Melbourne

Touring Seasons
2002 Brisbane, Melbourne
2003 Melbourne, Sydney, Warragul, Clayton, Mildura, Shepparton, Leuven
2004 Hannover, Fribourg
2005 Ludwigsberg, Bern