PERFORMANCE: TEMPEST

“Everybody has part of the answer,” says Lemi Ponifasio, creator of one of Sydney Festival’s most eclectic performance offerings. Ponifasio’s Tempest is part dance, part theatre and part oratory, peppered with politics, philosophy and a dash of cultural exchange. “The point of art is your expression of your truth, of how you find the world. We are not just obedient to one voice, one reason.” Tempest blends the distinctive MAU dance style with shadows of Shakespeare’s Tempest, investigating its themes through a modern lens. “No character on that island is free. For me, it felt like the whole world was like that,” says Ponifasio. Tempest is a visually ravishing and apocalyptic response to the sinister escalation of post-9/11 state powers. In addition to two performances of Tempest, Ponifasio will host a Symposium on Pacific thought, aimed at creating a dialogue about art and creative practices. “It’s a conversation – the world right now has been made very small. We need to know our neighbours.” Tempest is truly a bringing together of many different arts and creators. Says Ponifasio, “It is an act I create and hopefully it will create beauty and truth.”

Jan 10, 1pm & 8pm (Thought Symposium between shows), Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre, $40-45, sydneyfestival.org.au