Nine drummers, nine dancers, one ‘Manifesto’

Experience an irresistible surge of rhythm, motion, and playful theatricality that revels in the sheer exhilaration of being alive. Nine dancers accompanied by nine drummers on nine drum kits perform in front of a towering watermelon-pink velvet curtain.

Direct from Australia, Stephanie Lake Company brings a high-energy evening of joyful movement and vibrant percussion with the U.S. premiere of “Manifesto” at the Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m.

With all-out dancing and electrifying sound described by choreographer, dancer, and artistic director Stephanie Lake as a “tattoo to optimism,” “Manifesto” features a gutsy, original choreographic style and striking visual aesthetic revealing moments of unexpected humor and wit. Situated on a grand elevated set reminiscent of Busby Berkeley, the show starts with a bang, becoming more complex and thrilling as it builds toward a wildly powerful danced crescendo.

Created in collaboration with internationally renowned audio-visual artist and composer Robin Fox and a team of designers and performers, “Manifesto” unleashes youthful rebellion, radiates wonder, shows tenderness, and overflows with joyousness, as the audience is immersed in sound, light, and movement.

“Since my earliest choreographies, I have been drawn to rhythm,” Lake said. “’Manifesto’ strips performance back to its most basic elements — rhythm and movement, drumming and dancing. It is primal. The show covers wildly varied terrain, from ecstatic joyfulness to sorrow, to chaos, to order, and back again. But ultimately it is optimistic — a rallying cry for solidarity.”

Founded in 2014, Stephanie Lake Company is one of Australia’s most celebrated and prolific dance companies. Its highly acclaimed works are renowned for their explosive physicality, poetic imagery, and razor-sharp precision. The company has performed across Australia and toured in over 16 countries worldwide.

An award-winning choreographer, dancer, and artistic director, Lake also serves as the resident choreographer of the Australian Ballet and artist-in-residence of Semperoper Ballet, Dresden. Lake’s major works — including “Manifesto,” “Colossus,” “Replica,” “Pile of Bones,” “Double Blind,” “DUAL,” “A Small Prometheus,” “AORTA,” and “Mix Tape” — have been performed across Australia and toured internationally. She also collaborates across theatre, film, music video, opera, and visual art.

Lake has been awarded the Helpmann Award, two Australian Dance Awards, two Green Room Awards, and the Melbourne Fringe Award for Most Outstanding Choreography. In 2013 she was appointed inaugural resident director of Lucy Guerin Inc, which included working as Guerin’s choreographic assistant at Lyon Opera Ballet. She received a prestigious Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship in the same year and the Dame Peggy Van Praagh Choreographic Fellowship in 2012. She was the recipient of the Australia Council Fellowship for Dance for 2018-19 and Chloe Munro AO Fellowship in 2022.

This performance is supported in part by gifts from Ms. Sherwood Payne Quillen and David and Judie Reemsnyder.

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Related events

Immediately following the performance, hear from artistic director Stephanie Lake and “Manifesto” composer Robin Fox during a discussion with the audience.

The center hosts the workshop “Movement and Rhythm” led by choreographer Lake on Thursday, March 26, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Dance.tech, located at 1101 N. Main St., Blacksburg. Participants will dive into the explosive energy of “Manifesto” in this high-octane contemporary dance workshop, exploring the collective celebration of movement and sound. For ages 16 and up, some dance experience is required. Recommended for beginner and intermediate levels. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

While at Virginia Tech, Stephanie Lake Company artists will engage communities in the following hands-on experiences:

• Company dancers will lead movement workshops for students from William Fleming High School in Roanoke City and dance majors from Radford University.
• Virginia Tech music and dance students will explore the art of collaboration with company percussionists and dancers.
• Students enrolled in the History of Electronic Music will speak with composer Robin Fox about his career and creative process.
• Young artists and families from Dance.tech in Blacksburg will enjoy a backstage tour and question-and-answer session with the company.

Tickets

Tickets are $20-$55 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Center for the Arts box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Venue and parking information

The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jonathan Boulter at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email jboulter@vt.edu during regular business hours.