Dance, theatre extravaganza on Metro Arts slate

Cecilia Martin used to be a globe-trotting professional acrobat but a series of accidents and injuries saw her career fall from a great height.

The world premiere of her performance Break tells the story of her recovery in a show that combines dance, theatre and circus.

It asks what ambitions cost and how people recover when it all goes wrong for them.

Produced with Queensland collective The Farm, Break is a feature of Brisbane’s Metro Arts upcoming season.

The 2023 program released Wednesday is all about the future of visual and performing arts, with half a dozen shows featuring dance, movement, theatre and music.

The Farm also kicks off the season in January with the premiere of Hold Me Closer Tony Danza, a show inspired by a mis-heard song lyric.

Expect catchy pop songs, killer choreography, satire and sensuality, and for those who relish audience participation, people can take sides in a dance-off.

The stage is also a dancefloor at The People’s Dance Party, an immersive event in March with pop-up artists and an afternoon kids session.

Fresh from a sell-out season during 2022’s Mad Dance Festival, Betwixt by Pink Matter fuses street dance with spoken word to explore culture, relationships and identity.

In April, Brisbane’s alternative electro-trash trio The Architects of Sound will preview songs from their “second debut album” ARTFAP in the one-night-only show Rough, Red and Raw, promising “unhinged” visuals, deadpan comedy and sensual choreography.

In May, a show from indelabilityarts looks at women and mental health: SHE (See us, Hear us, Engage with us) is led by Amy Ingram of The Good Room.

The performance collective uses people’s anonymous experiences to create art – expect a conversation about the pandemic, #metoo, floods, fire, famine and everything in between.

The exhibition program kicks off with Ctrl+Alt+Del: Reclaim, a show from First Nations, Pacific Islander and culturally diverse artists.

There’s also a group show from artists Renee Kire, Tiana Jeffries and Easton Dunne.

AAP travelled with the assistance of Metro Arts.