Join Dean Cross and Daniel Riley as they discuss their creative works in art, design and dance. Daniel Riley and Dean Cross met as dancers at the age of 14 in Canberra in the ‘90s at The Australian Choreographic Centre (now QL2 Dance). This month, they return to their hometown presenting two major new works:  Cross with his video installation work Sometimes I Miss the Applause at Canberra Museum and Gallery, and Riley as Artistic Director of Australian Dance Theatre presenting SAVAGE at the Canberra Theatre Centre.  They have remained friends and are also now collaborators, with Cross as the designer of the set and costumes for SAVAGE.   

Cross’s video work is on display as part of the Sidney Nolan: Search for Paradise exhibition at CMAG. Commissioned by Heide Museum of Modern Art in 2021, the work sits in dialogue with Nolan’s work about identity - specifically his 1962 commission for the set and costumes for the Royal Ballet production of the iconic modernist ballet The Rite of Spring (Stravinsky 1913).  For that project, Nolan drew from his own experiences of travel in the central desert to locate the Covent Garden production in a mythical Australian landscape, with dancers in costumes that referenced Aboriginal body painting. Cross’s video work relocates this ballet to the Gundaroo Hall, bringing layers of his own personal experience as a Worimi man into this dialogue.  

SAVAGE is Riley’s first major work as Artistic Director of Australian Dance Theatre, which sees him take to the stage alongside the full company. Riley is a Wiradjuri man with cultural ties throughout western NSW. He established himself as an outstanding dancer when he joined Bangarra Dance Theatre at age 21. Canberra holds significance for Riley as it is where he began his dance career more than 20 years ago after meeting ADT founding Artistic Director Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM. SAVAGE is a confronting exploration of the notions of myth and identity, examines our fundamental belief systems, and turns the spotlight on those who hold the power of storytelling while challenging us to question our blind obedience. 

See Cross’s work at the Sidney Nolan: Search for Paradise exhibition 
Canberra Museum & Gallery 
Until 22 October 2022 

See Australian Dance Theatre’s SAVAGE for a limited time only 
Canberra Theatre 
29-30 September 2022 

Image:

Still from Sometimes I Miss the Applause, 2022 HD Video with sound, 8.38 mins. Courtesy the artist and Yavuz Gallery Singapore and Sydney © Dean Cross. Commissioned by Heide Museum of Modern Art, 2022. Purchased for the Heide collection with funds from Dr Victor Wall and Patricia Wall, the Metamorphic Foundation, 2022.