Lighting the Dark world premiere at Brisbane Festival

A dancer and choreographer living with Down syndrome will be Lighting the Dark with the world premiere of his empowering work at the Brisbane Festival this week.

Working closely with the Dancenorth team, Chris Dyke a dancer and choreographer living with Down syndrome, has developed Lighting the Dark which will have it's world premiere at the Brisbane Festival. Picture: Aaron Ashley

A dancer and choreographer living with Down syndrome will be Lighting the Dark with the world premiere of his empowering work at the Brisbane Festival this week.

From Adelaide, Chris Dyke developed Lighting the Dark with the creative Townsville-based Dancenorth team, and it combines his heroes, including Superman, Batman, Banksy and David Bowie, into a world filled with imagination, love and joy.

Townsville audiences who were privileged to see the performance prior to its run at the Brisbane Festival where wowed giving it standing ovations.

Dyke said the show had been his dream for a long time, and he wanted the audience to become immersed in the performance and come away empowered.

“With Lighting the Dark I want all the audience members and the performers to feel their own power,’ he said.

Working closely with the Dancenorth team, Chris Dyke a dancer and choreographer living with Down syndrome, has developed Lighting the Dark which will have it's world premiere at the Brisbane Festival. Picture: Aaron Ashley

Dyke has become a trailblazer for other dancers and choreographers with Down syndrome and other disabilities but feels everyone should be able to share their story.

“I believe that anyone can realise their dreams and make incredible things happen.”

The choreographer wants to take the show around the country and then around the world.

“To Adelaide in particular and then overseas to New York, Hong Kong, Paris and London because Banksy is in London.”

The inspirational choreographer has worked closely with Dancenorth’s Artistic Director Kyle Page for more than ten years after meeting at a workshop in 2012.

Working closely with the Dancenorth team, Chris Dyke a dancer and choreographer living with Down syndrome, has developed Lighting the Dark which will have it's world premiere at the Brisbane Festival. Picture: Evan Morgan

Since then, he has choreographed two solo works and the dance film Common Colours while working closely with the Dancenorth Ensemble.

Lighting the Dark is the realisation of Dyke’s biggest dream yet, but Page said there were many more to come, with the choreographer being one of the most creative people he had met.

Working closely with the Dancenorth team, Chris Dyke a dancer and choreographer living with Down syndrome, has developed Lighting the Dark which will have it's world premiere at the Brisbane Festival. Picture: Aaron Ashley

“We’ve been working together for about 13 years now, and I think we’re going to keep working together forever,” Page said.

“Chris is one of the most creative humans I’ve ever met and I’ve ever worked with in the studio.

“The ideas are constantly flowing, and there’s always something new that he brings into the studio every day – new inspiration and new stories.

“It’s such a privilege to have Chris in the studio, and he really does invite in an expression of love and connection through his openness, generosity and his creative approach to the world.”

He strongly believes that Dyke is at the forefront of breaking down the barriers for inclusiveness.

“I think Chris is really paving the way for an artist and choreographer living with Down syndrome to so proudly create work that speaks of his story – but that speaks of not only Chris’s story but there are deep, universal truths.

Working closely with the Dancenorth team, Chris Dyke a dancer and choreographer living with Down syndrome, has developed Lighting the Dark which will have it's world premiere at the Brisbane Festival. Picture: Aaron Ashley

“This show does get to the essence of what it is to be a human living on this planet in relationship to one another.

“There have been a number of audience members who have just spoken so generously to the experience of witnessing this show.

“That it does transform themselves and it creates a relationship to the performance and the art form and our communities that enables a new way of viewing their own experience of living on the planet.

“It really is a transformational performance and something very special that will inspire other artists to create work and to follow their ambition and their dreams and realise their full potential as contributors to the ecosystem of the arts in Australia.”

Page is excited about the possibility of taking Lighting the Dark around the world.

“The beautiful thing about this show is that it does connect with a global audience, like Chris’s story really is a universal story.

“I think there’s going to be a really huge demand for this show to tour internationally. It really is a very special performance that will have a long touring life ahead of it.”

Lighting the Dark at the Thomas Dixon Centre in West End from September 12 to 14.

Originally published as Lighting the Dark world premiere at Brisbane Festival