MASS MOVEMENT was a one-moment-in-time site-specific dusk ‘happening’, created by one of Australia’s foremost choreographers, Stephanie Lake, and composed by internationally recognised composer and audiovisual artist Robin Fox. MASS MOVEMENT was presented in Adelaide's Elder Park as the opening night event of the 2025 Adelaide Festival. It was produced by Stephanie Lake Company and co-commissioned by The Australian Ballet. MASS MOVEMENT brought 1000 volunteer dancers from the South Australian dance community, together with 24 professional dancers including from Stephanie Lake Company and The Australian Ballet. In my role as Production Manager for Stephanie Lake Company, my research centred on the planning and logistical coordination of mobilising a large ensemble of people across a sprawling public site to converge for the synchronised mass-movement performance.
NTRO Output Type
- Live Performance of Creative Work
NTRO Output Category
- Live Performance of Creative Work : Dance
Place
Adelaide, AustraliaVenue
Elder ParkNTRO Publisher
Adelaide FestivalStart Date
2025-03-01End Date
2025-03-01Medium
performingResearch Statement
MASS MOVEMENT was a one-time site-specific ‘happening’ choreographed by Stephanie Lake. MASS MOVEMENT was presented in Elder Park as the opening night event of the 2025 Adelaide Festival. It was produced by Stephanie Lake Company (SLC) and co-commissioned by The Australian Ballet (TAB). MASS MOVEMENT brought together 1000 volunteer dancers from the South Australian dance community and 24 professional dancers from SLC and TAB.
Stephanie Lake's artistic vision for the performance required the participants to travel from assembly points around the Elder Park site and converge en masse at the dedicated performance area. Unlike traditional performance processes with dedicated rehearsals and preparation time in a performance space, MASS MOVEMENT came together for the first and only occasion as a public performance on Saturday 1st March 2025.
This research aimed to address the logistical challenges of coordinating a large ensemble in a site-specific performance space without traditional preparation time in a controlled venue.
As Production Manager for Stephanie Lake Company, my role focused on ensuring the successful planning and execution of this large-scale community-engaged performance.
My research examined the practicalities of coordinating the mobilisation of a large ensemble across a sprawling public space and managing the dynamic, real-time assembly of the dancers, with the performance’s timing, path mapping, and event flow management becoming key research concerns.
The performance was viewed by an estimated audience of 6000 people, demonstrating the significant public interest and success of the event. MASS MOVEMENT was received with critical acclaim, with media reviews from Limelight, The Conversation, and The Guardian recognising the artistic impact of this large-scale community-engaged performance.
This work serves as a model for future community-engaged site-specific productions, combining professional execution with large-scale volunteer participation.Size or Duration of Work
35 minutesAffiliation
Lisa Osborn, University of Melbourne
