Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រុងតូច
About
A face-off between two b*boys. A stage or an arena? Dancing or sparring? Welcome to Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រុងតូច.
Dancers Erak Mith from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Aaron Lim from Darwin, Northern Territory, use the rituals, movement styles and language of their shared hip-hop culture to reveal the dramatically different worlds that surround them and uncover the choreographic links that unite them.
Choreographed by internationally-renowned Sydney-based hip-hop dance artist Nick Power, and accompanied by the beats and sound design of Jack Prest, the work blends the raw energy of b*boy battles with skilful improvisation and choreography, offering a cross-cultural perspective on style, culture and locality.
Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រុងតូច is a physical conversation and celebration of contemporary hip hop dance. The duo intersect limbs, pulse on the bass beat and cleverly react with physical banter.
The project is the result of a four-year dance collaboration 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.
Cast & crew
Nick Power – Choreographer
Nick Power is a Sydney-based b*boy and choreographer. He is one of the leading hip hop dance artists in Australia, working professionally for the past 18 years. His dance work has toured throughout Australia, Europe, Asia and Central America and he has choreographed numerous shows with companies such as Tracks Inc. and Stalker Theatre. Nick was the recipient of the Australia Council dance residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris 2012, which inspired his first full-length independent work Cypher. The work premiered at Darwin Festival in 2014 and has toured to Europe twice and throughout Australia. Nick is currently the dance curator at Campbelltown Arts Centre, in western Sydney.
Erak Mith – Dancer
Erak Mith is a Phnom Penh b*boy who developed his craft at Tiny Toones School. He started dancing at the age of eight (8), supported by Artistic Director and General Manager KK and Short. Erak has worked with some of the leading hip hop choreographers in the world presenting work in Europe and Australasia. Erak has participated in the Cambodian and Australian Hip Hop Exchange for the last three years. He is also a teacher and mentor at Tiny Toones and Phnom Penh International Schools providing dance workshops for young people from 5- 15 years.
Aaron Lim – Dancer
Aaron Lim is a Darwin born b*boy who has been breaking since 2007. He developed his skills in a range of programs at Tracks Dance Company, teaching for their biannual festival Milpirri Festival as well as performing in shows including Struck, Cook Queen Kelly, Zombies in the Banyan Tree and Man Made. Aaron has a long standing relationship with internationally renowned b*boy and choreographer Nick Power and is currently a core dancer in the touring performance Between Tiny Cities | រវាងទីក្រុងតូច. He has been teaching since 2010 in schools and with Corrugated Iron Youth Arts. Aaron also competes regularly in battle with his crew D*City Rockers.
Sound Designer – Jack Prest
With a background in Fine Art, Jack works as a sound designer for experimental theatre, dance and film including the 2014 Helpmann Award-winning Whelping Box and the break-dance experience Cypher, featured as a part of the 2016 Sydney Festival. Based out of Studios 301 in Sydney, Jack has worked with underground artists such as Sampa The Great, Golden Vessel, Left, Twin Caverns and True Vibenation, and has run sessions for some of the biggest in the business including Will.I.Am, Skrillex, Flume, Action Bronson and The Preatures. Jack is also an accomplished artist in his own right. He has performed on some of Australia’s biggest stages including Big Day Out, Good Vibrations, Vivid and Groovin The Moo. His current project Future Love Hangover has featured on FBi, Rage, Thump (Vice), Earmilk and Spin Magazine, with his 2015 album receiving support from the Australia Council.
Designer – Bosco Shaw
Bosco Shaw works primarily as a Lighting and Set Designer. His interest is in work that involves bodies & movement, how light feeds and influences the performing space and collaborations that propose alternate light sources and means. He has worked for companies and festivals in Australia and around the world. Recent design projects include: Antony Hamilton – Meeting, Tim Darbyshire – Stampede the Stampede, Dance North – Syncing Feeling, 3 dancers, IF__Was__, Daniel Jaber/ADT – Nought, Chunky Move – It Cannot Be Stopped, Keir Choreographic Awards 2015 – Tim Darbyshire, Atlanta Eke, Woodford Folk Festival 2015-16 – Opening and Fire Ceremonies, Matthew Sleeth – A Drone Opera, Stephanie Lake – Double Blind, Luke George – Erotic Dance, XO State – Asia TOPA & Dance North – Attractor.
Dramaturg – Lee Wilson
Lee Wilson is a co-director of Branch Nebula with Mirabelle Wouters. Branch Nebula works across disciplines in performance, dance and design to challenge mainstream cultural conventions and is currently touring Snake Sessions to skate parks around Australia. In 2016 Branch Nebula curated SWARM for Campbelltown Art Centre’s live art program, and commissioned to create Food Fight for C3West and Liverpool Council.
Between Tiny Cities រវាងទីក្រុងតូច Credits:
Tour Manager – Nick Power
Production Manager – Alejandro Roland
Creative Producer – Britt Guy
Tour Producer – Harley Stumm
Tour Coordination – Liz Rogers, Artback NT
Reviews
“Two men use the rituals, movement styles and language of their shared hiphop culture to explore points of commonality and difference. The result is 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”
Richard Watts, Arts Hub
“It is a duet of intersecting limbs, pulsing unison and a reactive physical banter characteristic of dancers working together, rather than as individuals. The boys barely take their eyes off each other… It’s playful and exploratory rather than aggressive or overly showy”
Dance Reviews Melbourne