[Mis]conceive by Thomas E.S. Kelly

Two Aboriginal mena nd one Aboriginal woman wear white collared shirts and dark jeans. They cluster together in front of a brick wall with their hands touching their own faces.

Presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy and Next Wave Festival

What does an Aboriginal Australian person look like? Act like? Sound like? Do they all have black skin, live in the bush and are they naked?

Extracting contemporary gestural motif from Aboriginal archetypes, [Mis]conveive's hip-hop, physical percussion and rhythmic cultural pattern is expressive and immediate. Through the assertion of a continuous Aboriginal dance canon, the aesthetic rejects, reveals and re-educates modern (mis)understandings of Indigeneity, [Mis]conceive argues that ‘knowledge’ does not equal comprehension. Books are not their covers. One size does not fit all.

Kelly and his ensemble move with assured physicality in this high-energy work that pulses with humour, play and personal stories. Voice and body become pathways to traditional dance and song, as repetition and disguise make way for moments of discovery. [Mis]Conceive brings audiences through the past, to understand the present, and move forward into a better future.

Reviews

"[Mis]conceive’s power is in the riveting choreography and dance performance. Fierce and exciting, I’m eager to see what Kelly will do next." - Anthony Rebelo, ArtsHub Three gold stars in a row