Nine dancers, nine drummers, igniting the delicate and the wild within life!

Stephanie Lake, perhaps the most exciting choreographic talent to emerge in Australian dance in the last decade— Adelaide Festival  

Manifesto is one of those iconic performances that you’ll always remember experiencing.— In Daily 

The work ends at an absolute fever pitch. When I saw it, the audience leapt to their feet, compelled to rise and shout. Anything can happen in this tightly crafted, remarkably innovative and thrilling work. And it does.— The Conversation 

Manifesto is another triumph for Lake, a perfectly realised work that celebrates not just the relationship between music and dance, but also the joy of being alive. In these distressing times, we all need a dose of Manifesto’s optimism. &mdashDance Australia 

Manifesto is an exhilarating creation by Australia’s internationally acclaimed contemporary choreographer Stephanie Lake. Featuring nine dancers, nine drummers, and nine drum kits, placed against the backdrop of towering pink velvet drapes, the performance ignites energy and awe through thunderous beats and a strikingly theatrical language of movement.

The dancers launch into a dramatic opening, freezing in perfect synchronicity with each beat, as if embodying the pulse of life itself. The harmony between the drumbeats and their movements is flawless, with the dancers sometimes driven by rhythm, and at other moments, as though conducting the drummers in a shared dance. In solos, they embody tenderness, while in ensemble pieces, their fluidity resembles a stream of air—at times radiating individual brilliance, at times resonating in unity, like an unrestrained, dazzling display of rhythm and movement!

Stephanie Lake's 2018 creation, Colossus, showcased her signature style, balancing chaos and order, and catapulted her into the global dance spotlight, earning numerous invitations for performances worldwide. Originally commissioned by the Australian Government’s Major Festivals Initiative, Manifesto unleashes the primal, raw energy of humanity, celebrating life in all its vibrant intensity—revealing the full spectrum of authentic emotions: sorrow, anger, and joy in their most radiant and fiery forms.

©Roy VanDerVegt

Stephanie Lake Company

Stephanie Lake Company is a multi-award-winning contemporary dance company based in Melbourne. Known for a gutsy, original choreographic style and striking visual aesthetic, Stephanie Lake Company’s highly acclaimed works include The Chronicles, Manifesto, Colossus, Monsters, Skeleton Tree, Replica and Pile of Bones.

Working in collaboration with Australia’s leading dancers and designers, the company has performed in major festivals and venues across Australia and the world, touring internationally to France, Germany, Hong Kong, Denmark, Singapore, Scotland, Canada, Switzerland, Argentina, Geneva, Ireland and Taiwan. Stephanie Lake Company collaborates across theatre, film, music video, opera and visual art and has created several mass-scale public participation projects for over 1,500 participants.

Stephanie Lake Company is supported by Creative Australia, Creative Victoria, Sidney Myer Foundation, Canny Quine Foundation, The Humanity Foundation, Arts Projects Australia and generous individual donors.

Choreographer／Stephanie Lake
Composer／Robin Fox
Lighting Designer／Bosco Shaw
Costume Designer／Paula Levis
Set Designer／Charles Davis
Production Manager／Emily O’Brien
Producer／Beth Raywood Cross
Associate Lighting Designer & Operator／Rachel Lee
Sound Engineer／James Wilkinson
Costume Maker／Fiona Holley
Dancers／Rachel Coulson, Tra Mi Dinh, Marni Green, Samantha Hines, Melissa Pham, Harrison Ritchie-Jones, Robert Tinning, Kimball Wong, Jack Ziesing
Drummers／Robin Fox, Tina Xuan Nguyen, Rama Parwata, Rohan Rebeiro, Alexandra Roper, Jen Tait, Rachel Trainor, Mathew Watson, Julia Watt
Stephanie Lake Company is represented by Aurora Nova

• 【Trailer】Stephanie Lake Company Manifesto official Trailer

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