Creative Team

Choreographer Nick Power
Dancers Aaron Lim & Erak Mith
Sound Designer Jack Prest
Lighting Designer Bosco Shaw
Dramaturg Lee Wilson
Creative Producer Britt Guy – ACCOMPLICE
Tour Producer Harley Stumm – Intimate Spectacle

Short outline

Dance doesn’t come more up-close than this, as you stand at the edge of the cypher, while dancers Erak Mith (Phnom Penh) and Aaron Lim (Darwin) use the rituals, movement and language of their shared hip-hop culture to reveale the dramatically different worlds that surround them and the choreographic links that unite them.

Choreographed by internationally-renowned Sydney hip-hop dance artist Nick Power and accompanied by the beats and sound design of Jack Prest, the work blends the raw, wild energy of b*boy battles with skilful improvisation and choreography, offering a cross-cultural perspective on style, culture and locality.

The project is the result of a four-year dance exchange between Darwin’s D*City Rockers and Cambodia’s Tiny Toones youth program. The two crews have travelled, trained, battled and performed together, and Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រុងតូច, is the culmination of that exchange.

Between Tiny Cities has toured to more than 20 destinations, from major performing arts centres to remote NT communities, from a Phnom Penh skate centre to some of Europe’s most prestigious dance festivals.

Reviews

“An intelligent, expressive and engaging production which gently subverts preconceptions around hip-hop and masculinity…. A rich exploration of the possibilities of hip-hop choreography and an early highlight of Dance Massive. 4 stars” Richard Watts, Arts Hub, March 2017. Full Review

“It’s a duet of intersecting limbs, pulsing unison and a reactive physical banter characteristic of dancers working together, rather than as individuals…. It’s playful and exploratory rather than aggressive or overly showy and the boys display both intense concentration and a cocky levity…. Power and his artistic crew have created something that feels unique and nuanced. It pushes past conventions of a particular social form and opens itself up to be something different. That vulnerability and curiosity defines the best of Dance Massive.” Dance Reviews Melbourne, 16 March 2017. Full Review

“Between Tiny Cities is a beautiful, bravely presented duet that tells how two competitors from different milieus discover commonalities through dance.” O-Ton, Berlin, 30 August 2018.

“The audience enters and stands behind the clearly delineated circle on the floor that is the performance space. Dancers Aaron Lim and Erak Mith are extraordinary. They blend contemporary dance, hip hop, Indigenous and traditional Cambodian dance in a thrilling, compelling mix full of incredible dynamic energy and fluid grace…. The audience is so close you can see and smell the sweat pouring off them and hear the squeak of their shoes… This was a fascinating, mesmerising dance dialogue/battle about two cultures colliding.” Lynne Lancaster, Sydney Arts Guide, July 7 2019. Full Review

Production History

Arts House, Melbourne (Dance Massive), March 2017
Skateistan, Phnom Penh, March 2017
Darwin Festival, August 2017
Hong Kong Arts Festival, March 2018
APAM Showcase, 23 Feb
Hong Kong Arts Festival, 16 – 17 March
George Town Festival Penang, August 2018
ImPulsTanz Vienna, August 2108
Sziget Festival Budapest, August 2018
Workshops presented by Tanz im August Berlin, August 2018
Tanz im August at Sophiensaele Berlin, August 2018
Tanzmesse showcases, Dusseldorf, September 2018
Bleach Festival, Gold Coast, April 2019
Sydney Opera House, July 2019
Sydney Opera House July 2019
Arts Centre Melbourne July 2019
Northern Territory toured by Artback NT
Ramingining | Milingimbi | Galiwin’ku Recreation Centre | Umbakumba Basketball Courts | Yirrkala | Katherine High School | Desert Harmony Festival, Tennant Creek, 2019
Noorderzon Festival, Groningen, Netherlands, August 2019
Tanzhaus nrw, Düsseldorf, Germany, September 2019
Adelaide Festival, Feb-March 2020