Artback NT Touring Presents
SUB By GUTS DANCE X ASHLEIGH MUSK
SUB, a bold and experimental contemporary dance performance that plunges audiences into the very heart of the earth. Premiering at the Araluen Arts Centre, Mparntwe, on May 23, 2025, SUB offers an intense, multi-sensory journey beneath the surface, where the human body interacts with the raw forces of nature and industry.
SUB explores humanity’s complex relationship with the earth in a time of ecological crisis. As our surface world bears the weight of environmental and societal challenges, we descend into soil and stone—seeking shelter and survival. This performance combines body, sound, objects, and lighting to create a visceral world where pressure builds, the earth shifts, and its inhabitants navigate an underground realm full of both terror and beauty.
Choreographed by Ashleigh Musk, SUB reveals the stark contrasts of life beneath the earth’s surface—wet versus dry, hot versus cold, soft versus strong. Joined by dancers Frankie Snowden, Madeleine Krenek, and Jennie Large, Musk takes audiences on a journey of endurance, resilience, and quiet defiance. Together, they encounter precious materials and breathe new life into discarded objects, learning to care for one another and the environment they inhabit.
“A highly compelling visual and auditory experience, SUB highlights the stark realities of climate despair and the threads of hopefulness found in connection to others and the body” - GUTS Dance debut SUB at Araluen Arts Centre by Betty Sweetlove, Aug 2023
Credits
Concept and Choreography Ashleigh Musk in collaboration with the entire team
Performers Madeleine Krenek, Frankie Snowdon, Jenni Large and Ashleigh Musk
Sound Design and Performance Anna Whitaker
Lighting and Spatial Design Jen Hector
Dramaturgy and Concept Development Pierce Eldridge and Léuli Eshrāghi
Costume Design Elliat Rich Costume
Manufacturer Lizzie Verstappen Choreographic
Intern Toni Lord
Performance warning
Recommended for ages 8+
Please note that this production contains extremely loud noises, including a potentially distressing siren sound during one specific section.
Audiences are provided with earplugs.
Contains some sexual references and smoke and haze effects.
SUB is created in partnership with Tasdance and supported by the Northern Territory Government through Arts NT, the Australian Government through RISE and Creative Australia, the Regional Arts Fund, Darwin Festival through the Spotlight Creative Development Fund and the Araluen Arts Centre. The development of SUB has been supported through residencies with Red Hot Arts Central Australia, The Makers Program at Supercell Festival of Contemporary Dance (QLD) and The Unconformity (TAS).
