#2 | Technical Manager for Sets & Props: Allister Towndrow
#1 | Technical Manager for Sets & Props: Allister Towndrow
Backstage Pass: Puppet Designer and Fabricator
Backstage Pass: Artistic Director
Backstage Pass: Set Designer
Backstage Pass
Backstage Pass: Artistic Director
Building a sci-fi dance world—turning imagination into reality
Have you ever wondered how a dance performance is created? It takes much more than the dancers on stage. Behind every show is a whole team of artists working together to bring a vivid world to life on stage.
Leading this process is someone called an artistic director!
Meet Antony Hamilton, the artistic director and choreographer of dance company, Chunky Move.
As an artistic director, Antony’s job is to bring all the elements of a performance together—the choreography, stage design, lighting, sound, costumes and more—so they come together to form one cohesive show.
His role is a bit like a conductor of an orchestra. Each person plays a different part, and Antony makes sure that everything blends harmoniously.
He also spends a lot of time thinking about the meaning behind the work—what he wants to say and how he wants to say it. How does he make sure the audience will understand the message and feel connected to the work? As an artistic director, Antony keeps an eye on the big picture to make sure every element supports the story.
Where it all begins
Every show begins with a tiny spark—the idea!
Antony is really fascinated by how humans interact with things they’ve built—their tools, machines and buildings. He believes that everything we make is meaningful and even sacred in some way—a form of art in itself! Objects are not just “things”. They say something about who are we and our purpose in the world.
This idea became the starting point for the innovative dance piece U>N>I>T>E>D. Presented in 2025 at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre as part of da:ns focus, Antony explored the relationship between humans and the material world in the show, encouraging audiences to reflect on what they saw and form their own interpretations.
The B-grade sci-fi of the ’80s: Antony’s inspiration
Antony grew up in the “golden era” of science fiction cinema, way back in the 1980s and ’90s. When VHS tapes and camcorders became popular, anyone could make films, even without a huge budget. Kids and amateur filmmakers used whatever they could find around them—lights, smoke and everyday household items to create imaginative new sci-fi worlds!
The atmosphere and creativity of these old sci-fi films inspired Antony when creating U>N>I>T>E>D—from the set and costumes to the lighting and sound design.
A collection of voices
Once the idea is in place, Antony begins shaping the world that the dancers will perform in. But he doesn’t work alone. As an artistic director, Antony figures out who he wants to work with and then shares his creative vision with them. He tries to express himself as clearly as possible, while also leaving lots of room for everyone to discuss and come up with new ideas.
For U>N>I>T>E>D, Antony worked with many different artists around the world. Peter Gregory from the United States created the concept art for the piece. Indonesian music duo Gabber Modus Operandi composed original music. And the costumes were the brainchild of Future Loundry from Indonesia and Creature Technology Co. from Australia. Antony helped bring everyone’s ideas together into one shared vision.
Go behind the scenes to see how U>N>I>T>E>D came to life!
When imagination meets reality
One of the most exciting ideas for U>N>I>T>E>D was a long, spine-like structure that ran through the performance space. In an ideal world, Antony would have loved to make the spine even larger and higher so the dancers’ bodies would appear dwarfed by it. However, the size of the room and available budget meant there were limits.
Part of being an artistic director is mastering the art of compromise. A good artistic director knows how to work within constraints. Sometimes these limits even spark new and unexpected creative solutions—better than imagined!
Dance dance revolution
Not all artistic directors choreograph their own work—but Antony does.
In U>N>I>T>E>D, the costumes included extra mechanical arms called exo-arms. They were really heavy and restrictive, and some dancers felt like they had to relearn how to move!
This made developing the choreography really challenging. But instead of shying away, Antony leaned in and used the restricted movements as part of the choreography. The unusual, sharp and jagged movements became a unique feature of the piece.
Watch Antony work his choreographic magic in U>N>I>T>E>D!
Every performance starts as a tiny idea. Antony shows how an artistic director uses their vision, creativity and collaboration to transform that spark into a powerful performance for all to enjoy!
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