Australia Dancing - Chunky Move (1995

Chunky Move (1995 - )

Webster, Tim: Brett Daffy and Luke Smiles in Gideon Obarzanek's 'Bonehead', Chunky Move, 1998

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Chunky Move was established in 1995 by dancer and independent choreographer Gideon Obarzanek, initially in collaboration with another independent artist, Garry Stewart. The company gave its debut performance at the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts in 1995 when it presented Obarzanek's Fast Idol and Stewart's Spectre in the Covert Memory. In program notes for this first season Obarzanek wrote: 'The company seeks to investigate and develop new movement language in dance and theatre and to create works with and by Australian and overseas performers, choreographers and artists to be performed here and abroad'. Dancers in the inaugural season were Narelle Benjamin, Victor Bramich, Brett Daffy, Janine Dijkmeijer, Kathryn Dunn and Luke Smiles. Chunky Move subsequently toured its inaugural double bill to Sydney and Canberra.

In 1998 Chunky Move became the official contemporary dance company of Victoria with Obarzanek as artistic director. Since then Chunky Move has toured widely both nationally and internationally, and has appeared at major dance festivals in England, France, Germany, North and South America and Japan.

Chunky Move's repertoire of works is eclectic in both form and content. Obarazanek collaborates with contemporary artists in music, design, fashion and film. The work delves into the funny, sick, perverse, beautiful and erotic situations of life. Complementing the live dance productions, which are presented in a range of diverse venues, the company experiments with new media. In 1998, Chunky Move co-produced the dance film, Wet, with ABC TV. In 1999, the company went on to produce Making Chunky Move, Australia's first dance CD-ROM.

While Chunky Move mostly features the work of Obarzanek, it also commissions various other Australian choreographers and invites international choreographers to give workshops. The repertoire of the company is listed on its web site, which is available via a link located at the top of this page.

See also: Obarzanek, Gideon ; Stewart, Garry

Research Materials

Other resources

Find more about Chunky Move in:

Internet - Google
Articles - New York Public Library Dance Collection
Pictures - Picture Australia