Common Dissonance
NA DJINANG CIRCUS
A collision of circus and culture that interrogates harmony and conflict to find a Common Dissonance.
In a 21st Century world where it is common to believe in both spirituality and science – how can we navigate the complex dialogues that consume contemporary culture?
For thousands of years in Australia, understanding of the world came from dreamtime stories, song lines, and oral histories, all of which are still relevant to many Australians. Our environment is riddled with the hypocrisies of a culturally diverse past lingering in the wake of a globalised present.
Featuring contemporary Australian performers with shared and distinctly individual experiences, this work aims not only to explore the harmony and conflict of contemporary Australian reasoning, but to find a Common Dissonance.
A contemporary circus work exploring the struggle between traditional and modern modes of reasoning.
Credits
Created by Na Djinang Circus
Performed by Jessica Connell, Johnathon Brown (Anawan, Kamilaroi) & Harley Mann (Wakka Wakka)
Directed by Harley Mann
Lighting Designer Tim Bonser
Costume Design Tamara Keane
Originally devised by Isabelle Champagne-Chittick, Harley Mann, Rowan Heydon-White & Lee Pemberton
Presented in association with Circa Cairns
Campaign photography by Nick Bowers
About the Artists
Na Djinang Circus is a Melbourne-based contemporary circus company that works with diverse young artists to share unique insights with the next generation's Hands & Feet. Founded by Wakka Wakka man Harley Mann, Na Djinang Circus aims to develop work that utilises the next generation's social and political attitudes and tells stories that challenge our own perceived ideas about contemporary Australian society.
Their work explores fundamental human characteristics from an Indigenous perspective, using the body to demonstrate complex human experiences of trust, connection, vulnerability, and joy. As a First Nations-led company, Na Djinang Circus's art and ethos reflect traditional and contemporary values. They are curious, original, and unafraid to make mistakes.
Na Djinang Circus believes that artists have the power to shape audiences' opinions and create change. Their work is thought-provoking and inspiring, encouraging audiences to challenge their assumptions and think critically about the world around them. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, Na Djinang Circus is helping to create a more just and equitable society through their art.
“★★★★★
Thought provoking, powerful and well-crafted.”
“★★★★½
Deftly blurring the edges between circus and dance, the performing duo draw the audience in with emotive, intimate theatre.”
“★★★★
Mesmerising… superb… Common Dissonance is another brilliant creation from the Na Djinang Circus, who play a critical role of telling one’s own story to the next generation.”
“★★★★
It’s an inherently fresh and generous approach that builds on a strong culture of game-changing Australian circus and comes at it from new angles, as accompanied by First Nations-led music. The company is prepared to bend the shape of things into something exhilaratingly new. ”
“Australia makes good circus, but it’s rare to see a show this moving. ”
