REVIEW: MOVE FM Showcases Sydney's Next Generation

Future Makers' MOVE FM delivers on its promise of eclectic contemporary dance, presenting six works as part of Sydney Fringe that reveal the conceptual sophistication and performance quality emerging from Sydney's young choreographic voices. This collection demonstrates how showcase formats can succeed when individual pieces achieve genuine artistic merit rather than merely serving developmental purposes.

The production opens with Hannah Brookes' PLATINUM, a 15-minute exploration that initially appears to critique social media narcissism but reveals deeper layers about empowerment and connection. Inspired by "Brat Summer, feminine popstars, queer culture and the resurgence of early 2000s fashion," the work uses a live camera feed, and an industrial fan, to examine what makes us feel powerful. The piece's statement: "rave sunnies, pop music and a perfectly curated Pinterest board," suggests celebration rather than condemnation of contemporary self-presentation, reframing perceived narcissism as legitimate self-empowerment.

Kate Clerkin's Still, We Move follows with a meditation on professional facades and hidden complexities. Drawing inspiration from museum statues, the work explores how "even in stillness, there's constant motion, an ongoing evolution beneath the mask of perfection." This sophisticated concept translates effectively into movement that reveals the tension between outward presentation and inner truth, demonstrating Clerkin's mature approach to choreographic storytelling.

Frances Orlina's Antics of Modern Romantics provides a more theatrically diverse experience, combining dance with a vocal delivery as Orlina navigates relationship difficulties, moving alongside a giant teddy bear representing her absent partner. This bold choice transforms what could have been simple relationship commentary into genuinely affecting theatre that explores "the absurdities and contradictions of love in modern dating" with vulnerability and some brutal honesty. The work succeeds in questioning "our desires versus needs and the irony surrounding them, in the modern phenomenon of 'situationships.'"

Layla Meadows' Come Together represents the program's most ambitious undertaking, featuring eleven performers in an extended ensemble piece that seeks to "reveal sacredness in collectiveness." Inspired by electronic music and the natural world of the Blue Mountains, the work creates an "esoteric world" where the performers "surrender to an honest dance." The tonal qualities and collective movement demonstrate Meadows' ability to sustain choreographic vision across an extended duration while maintaining the ensemble's cohesion. It’s a deep work indeed.

Then, Heather Maitland's And it. provides a stunning counterpoint. This is a concentrated 4-minute solo that explores "the narrative of the body as a vessel of motion, sensation and connection." It’s a piece that is outstanding, raw, and revealing, Maitland's performance exemplifies how this artist achieves a compelling theatrical presence through a commitment to authentic self-discovery. The work's approach to "unapologetic discovery of the self with the awareness of perception" creates genuinely compelling viewing.

The showcase concludes with Vourneen Ní Cáinín's Between One And Ten, which weaves birthday party traditions into a larger meditation on happiness inspired by Dan Buettner's Blue Zones research. The work uses a "measured scale of happiness from 1 to 10" to explore "moments of quiet contentment, communal joy, resilience, and celebration," with performers embodying "what it feels like to rise, fall, and return to balance." The inclusion of a start/stop rendition of "Happy Birthday" within this framework creates a touching connection between personal ritual and collective wellbeing.

Ultimately, what emerges across these six works is an impressive conceptual range combined with genuine performance commitment. Rather than feeling like developmental exercises, these pieces demonstrate how emerging choreographers can tackle the substantial themes of empowerment, professional identity, relationship complexity, collective spirituality, personal authenticity and human happiness, all through sophisticated movement vocabularies.

The Future Makers program's commitment to supporting emerging independent artists clearly provides an effective framework for artistic growth. The collaboration with professional artists creates space for risk-taking while maintaining production standards that serve the choreographic visions.

MOVE FM therefore succeeds as both a showcase and an artistic event, demonstrating that emerging doesn't necessarily mean compromised. These young choreographers bring fresh perspectives to contemporary concerns while displaying technical skills and conceptual clarity that suggest promising artistic futures.

More info: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/move-fm/

More info regarding Future Makers at Dance Makers Collective: https://dancemakerscollective.com.au/programs/future-makers/