Five Next-Level Performances to See at Next Wave Festival 2018

From freestyle dog dancing to a democratic dinner party.

Melbourne's biennial showcase of young and emerging artist has unveiled its latest program. Running from May 3 to 20, the 2018 Next Wave Festival will highlight some of the coolest, most exciting and most innovative up-and-comers working across theatre, dance, video, music, sculpture and everything in between.

The festival will kick off with a free opening night party at the Brunswick Mechanics Institute. The soiree is being sponsored by the Archie Rose Distilling company, so you know the booze will be good. It's one of a number of epic shindigs on the program this year, with Sezzo Snot and Makeda Zucco set to take over the Tote Hotel for a night of electronic music, sound art, performance and installation, and DJ Sista Zai Zanda headling an Afro-futuristic Mother's Day eve celebration of dance, music, poetry and storytelling.

The lineup is packed full of events, so we've rounded up our top five below — and they include everything from freestyle dog dancing to a democratic dinner party.

To see the full lineup and buy tickets, head to the Next Wave website.

• 5

  

  Canine Choreography — Danielle Reynolds

  Testing Grounds, Southbank

  Testing Grounds, Southbank

  A humorous and sincere exploration of the world of freestyle dog dancing.

  With a name like Canine Choreography, we reckon this Next Wave event pretty much sells itself. Created by Danielle Reynolds, this performance is billed as a humorous and sincere exploration of the world of freestyle dog dancing, which is apparently a thing. Reynolds will work alongside participants and their pooches — and yes, there will be costumes. The show will run for two nights only at Testing Grounds on May 11 and 12, and you’d be doggone mad to miss it.

  Image: Kristy Macafee

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• 4

  

  Bureau of Meteoranxiety

  Blindside Gallery, Melbourne

  Blindside Gallery, Melbourne

  Work through your climate change fears using VR.

  Are you feeling stressed about the end of the world? If yes, you might want to head to this Next Wave event. An immersive live art experience incorporating VR technology, Bureau of Meteoranxiety by Perth-based artists Alex Tate and Olivia Tartaglia will allow participants to work through their fears of climate change by exposing them to “experimental visual therapies and sensory remedies” and providing “new language and coping strategies to help stay above the metaphorical and literal flood line”.

  Image: Michael Tartaglia

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• 3

  

  Crunch Time

  Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre, Preston

  Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre, Preston

  A democratic dinner party, where you vote for the ingredients.

  Forget about dinner and a show: this Next Wave work from transmedia performance collective Counterpilot is both rolled up into one. Hosted at the Darebin Arts Centre, Crunch Time is a performative dinner party that embraces the spirit of democracy. Dinners sit around a projector-mapped table and vote on which ingredients they’d like included in their meal. From there, public leaders will be thrown into the kitchen, where they’ll show off their culinary chops while being viewed via live-feed video. Sounds like a hell of a dinning experience… although we can’t speak to the quality of the food.

  Image: Dave D’Arcy

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• 2

  

  Endless Romantica

  Brunswick Mechanics Institute, Brunswick

  Brunswick Mechanics Institute, Brunswick

  A 24-hour performance commemorating a Melbourne institution.

  Arts collective Field Theory is paying tribute to a Melbourne institution. A year after the iconic venue closed its doors, Cafe Romantica is being brought to life in this commemorative show. A 24-hour performance broadcast in which the audience will play an active role, Endless Romantica will feature discussions about what the beloved Italian diner meant to Brunswick locals, along with an array of other topics including gentrification, romance and late night culture. There’ll be wine (of course) as well as Field Theory’s best attempt at Romantica’s famous ‘Romeo and Juliet’ pasta. If you can’t make it in person, the broadcast will also be available online.

   

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• 1

  

  Precog

  The Tote, Collingwood

  The Tote, Collingwood

  Part dance party, part social experiment.

  Dance party meets performance at the Tote Hotel in Collingwood for one night only at part of Next Wave 2018. Presented by Melbourne-based curators Sezzo Snot and Makeda Zucco, Precog “examines the cult of the club as a type of social experiment”, combining experimental dance music with sound art, performance and installation. The lineup features everyone from UK DJ Klein to Australian dancer and choreographer Angela Goh.

  Image: Jarred Beeler

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