Restless Dance Theatre, formerly Restless Dance Company, is a

dance theatre Concert dance (also known as performance dance or theatre dance in the United Kingdom) is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreography, choreogr ...

company based in the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

n capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. Founded in 1991, Restless works with people with and without disability.

History

The Restless Dance Company was founded in 1991 by Sally Chance and Tania Rose, when Chance, who worked in community dance, was visiting Adelaide from the UK for a project with Carclew Youth Arts Centre. Restless was incorporated in 1996. It was the first professional dance company for people with disability in Australia. The company changed its name to Restless Dance Theatre in 2008. At that time, Ingrid Voorendt was

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

. Philip Channells was appointed in 2009, the first artistic director with a disability of any Australian dance company. He remained in the position until 2012.

Michelle Ryan Michelle Claire Ryan (born 22 April 1984) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Zoe Slater in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2000–2005, 2025–present). In 2007, she starred in the short-lived American television s ...

, a dancer and choreographer with

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

, took over the position in 2013. She had formerly been a professional dancer in the

Australian Dance Theatre Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first moder ...

until six months after her MS diagnosis, when she was aged 30, and had to start using a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

. In 2011 she danced again, this time using a

walking stick A walking stick (also known as a walking cane, cane, walking staff, or staff) is a device used primarily to aid walking, provide postural stability or support, or assist in maintaining a good posture. Some designs also serve as a fashion acces ...

, after being invited by Belgian choreographer

Alain Platel Alain Platel (born 9 April 1956) is a Belgian choreographer and director. In 1984, he founded les ballets C de la B, which has been called 'one of the world's most influential dance theatre companies'. Platel came to prominence alongside choreogr ...

of les ballets C de la B to both choreograph and perform a solo work for a new production, which toured Australia. In October 2015, the film ''Michelle's Story'', made by

Meryl Tankard Meryl Tankard (born 1955) is an Australian dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker. She started her career at the Australian Ballet in Sydney in 1975, and was principal dancer with Pina Bausch and her Tanztheater Wuppertal in Germany between 1978 ...

, premiered at the

Adelaide Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in movie theater, cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented wikt:Special:Search/biennial, biennially in March from 2 ...

. Around the same time, dancer and choreographer

Roz Hervey Roz Hervey (1965 or 1966 – 8 November 2024) was an Australian dancer, choreographer, director and theatrical producer. She was known for roles as co-founder of and associate artist with Sydney dance-theatre company Force Majeure, as director ...

joined as creative producer, remaining in the position until her death in November 2024. The company's ensemble has toured widely, including performances at

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

;

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...

; and

Brisbane Festival Brisbane Festival is one of Australia's leading international arts festivals, and is held each September in Brisbane, Australia. Its presence dominates the city for three weeks in September and its line-up of classical and contemporary music, t ...

, as well as in the UK and South Korea. They have collaborated with

Chunky Move Chunky Move is an Australian contemporary dance company from Southbank, Victoria. History Chunky Move was founded in 1995 and debuted at the Melbourne International Arts Festival with artistic director Gideon Obarzanek. The company's work is d ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Description

The company presents dance theatre works in multiple mediums to diverse audiences. Restless has an extensive training program for all ages, based on founder Sally Chance's dance method. Disabled and non-disabled dancers work together to choreograph work.

Governance and funding

Restless Dance Theatre is headed by artistic director Michelle Ryan, since her appointment in 2013. The company has been mainly funded by the

Commonwealth Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the prime ...

through the

Australia Council Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...

since its inception. In April 2020, the company heard that they had not been included in the 2021–2024 funding round by the Australian Council. Restless launched a fundraising campaign, and soon there was a new funding model. They hope that the Australia Council will restore some funding to it so that it can offer its dancers secure annual contracts.

Notable performances

For the 2019

created ''Zizanie'' for the company, which received rave reviews. Regis Lansac did the videography. From 4 September to 2 October 2020, Restless performed "Seeing Through Darkness", inspired by

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

artist

Georges Rouault Georges-Henri Rouault (; 27 May 1871, Paris - 13 February 1958, Paris) was a French painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, whose work is often associated with Fauvism and Expressionism. Childhood and education Rouault was born into a poor famil ...

, at the

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

(AGSA). All of the 15-minute performances were sold out, with only 10 people allowed per performance owing to

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dise ...

restrictions in place because of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case in Aust ...

. AGSA had invited artistic director Michelle Ryan five years earlier, and Ryan chose nine works which focused on the human body and experience, rather than Rouault's religious works. Six dancers were accompanied by an original score by Hilary Kleinig and Emily Tulloch (of the

Zephyr Quartet The Zephyr Quartet is a string quartet based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1999, they have been recognised with awards and have collaborated with international musicians. History Founded in 1999, Zephyr has received tuition from the ...

), with lighting designed by Geoff Cobham (artistic director of

Patch Theatre Patch Theatre Company, formerly New Patch Theatre, is an Australian theatre company specialising in children's theatre, based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1972 by Morna Jones, the company is now funded by the federal government thro ...

) and Meg Wilson. In March 2022 a new work created by Ryan based on her and the other dancers' own experiences, ''Exposed'', premiered at

in 2022. It was performed in the inaugural Frame Biennial of Dance in

early in 2023, before opening at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

on 30 August 2023, It was described by Ryan as "an ode to vulnerability and the power of asking for help". The show was the theatre's debut at the Opera House, before travelling to the 26th Seoul International Dance Festival in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, Korea, and then touring nationally. The music was composed by Hilary Kleinig and Emily Tulloch (formerly of

Awards

Company

*2010: Winner,

Australian Dance Awards The Australian Dance Awards recognise excellence and promote dance in Australia. They are awarded under the auspices of the Australian Dance Council (Ausdance) for performance, choreography, design, dance writing, teaching and related professions. ...

, Outstanding Achievement in Youth or Community Dance, for ''Bedroom Dancing'' *2017?: Winner, Adelaide Critics Circle Award, Group Award (Professional Theatre), for ''Intimate Space'' *2017: Winner, Ruby Award, Artistic Innovation and Enterprise, for ''Intimate Space'' *2017: Nomination,

Helpmann Award The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

, Best Dance Production, for ''Intimate Space'' *2018: Nomination, Helpmann Award, Best Dance Production, for ''Intimate Space'' *2017: Nomination, Ruby Award, Best New Work, for ''Intimate Space'' *2019: Winner, Ruby Award, Sustained Contribution by an Organisation *2020?: Nomination, Ruby Award, Best Work or Event outside of a Festival, for ''Seeing Through Darkness'' *2022: Special Commendation Ruby Award 2022 - Best Work or Event Within a Festival, for ''Guttered''

Individual

*2020: Jianna Georgiou, Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award at the Ruby Awards

References

External links

*
Restless Dance Company
at Australia Dancing {{authority control Dance companies in Australia Contemporary dance companies Performing arts in Adelaide 1991 establishments in Australia Physically integrated dance Disability organisations based in Australia