Esplanade Presents

Dance

U>N>I>T>E>D

An Esplanade Co-Commission
Chunky Move (Australia)

26 Sep 2025, Fri, 7.30pm

27 Sep 2025, Sat, 7.30pm

28 Sep 2025, Sun, 3pm

1hr

(Intermission: None)

Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade

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Photo Credit: Giana Rizzo
Photo Credit: Giana Rizzo
Photo Credit: Giana Rizzo
Photo Credit: Giana Rizzo
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Synopsis

★★★★ 
“the pride and product of ambitions beyond the capabilities of our biological bodies.”
– ArtsHub

 

“Visually arresting and full of possibility.”
– Dance Australia

 

Enter an otherworldly amalgamation of hyper-articulate movement, infectious music, and science-fiction inspired design in Chunky Move’s latest work.

 

With thunderous fury, U>N>I>T>E>D offers audiences an epic vision of machine mysticism. A synthesis of body, machine and spirit is embodied by six masterful dancers who give life to lurking energies latent within the industrial environment of our world. The work is a major international collaboration with leaders in the Balinese experimental music scene, Gabber Modus Operandi, Bali-based streetwear label Future Loundry, Australian global leaders in animatronic design, Creature Technology Co., and award-winning lighting designer Benjamin Cisterne.

 

Drawing from its artists’ individual artistic and cultural practices, U>N>I>T>E>D honours technologies and rituals both ancient and contemporary, imagining a world of mythic proportions in which earthly forms commune with the gods of the machine world.

 

U>N>I>T>E>D is the latest work in the canon of Chunky Move Artistic Director Antony Hamilton’s ‘speculative future’ performances, following recent innovative dance experiences created by the company,Token Armies (2019) and Yung Lung (2022).

 

The Asian premiere of this production is presented as part of da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN), a weekend that spotlights contemporary dance works created by or in collaboration with Asian artists, focusing on distinct voices and creative impulses from the region.

 

A programme of 60 Connections – At Home and Afar, a year-long season of Singapore stories and international collaborations in celebration of SG60.

 

Production Credits

 

Artistic Direction & Choreography: Antony Hamilton

Sound Design & Composition: Gabber Modus Operandi

Costume Design: Future Loundry

Exoskeleton Design & Fabrication: Creature Technology Co.

Lighting Design: Benjamin Cisterne

Performers & Choreography: Ashley McLellan, Melissa Pham, David Prakash, Samakshi Sidhu, Robert Alejandro Tinning, Jayden Wall

Stage/Set Design/Fabrication and Art Finishing: Ashley Buchanan and Antony Hamilton

Set and Costume LED Fabrication: Shiv Geaney 

Outside Eye: Melanie Lane

Production Manager: Ashley Buchanan

System Engineer and Head Electrician: Shiv Geaney

Lighting Operator: Nicholas Moloney

Sound Engineer: Ethan Hunter

Executive Director/co-CEO: Kristy Ayre

Senior Producer: Kristina Arnott

 

U>N>I>T>E>D was commissioned by Asia TOPA, Arts Centre Melbourne, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and Perth Festival.

 

U>N>I>T>E>D  is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, the City of Melbourne, and the Playking Foundation via a Playking Foundation Travel Grant.

Accessibility

Assistive Listening

Advisory:
  • This performance contains highly dynamic strobe effects, dynamic lighting, and loud, dynamic sound. Please approach our ushers if you require ear plugs or other assistance.

  • There will be post-show dialogues with the artists for the performances on 26 & 27 Sep.

Admission Age:
6 and above.
Things to Note:
Accessibility: All our venues are wheelchair-accessible. We offer various services to support patrons with access needs. For assistance, please contact Esplanade Customer Experience at 6828 8377. Concessions are available for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and one accompanying companion. To learn more, read our accessibility guide.
Ticketing: Prices exclude ticketing agent’s booking fees. Entry to performance venues is granted to patrons with tickets that have been purchased through authorised ticket agents only. Read about ticketing or check our FAQs.
For information about late seating, photography and more, please read our general advisory.
With the growing threat of online phishing scams, please remain vigilant. Use official ticketing channels such as Esplanade.com or Sistic.com.sg and check that you are on legitimate websites before logging in to book tickets.
Artist Information

Chunky Move

Website | Instagram | Facebook | X

Chunky Move creates bold, genre-defying contemporary dance. Internationally renowned for ambitious and highly original work, the award-winning company maintains a reputation for being at the forefront of contemporary dance globally. Under the leadership of co-CEOs Antony Hamilton and Kristy Ayre, Chunky Move play a crucial role in driving dance forward in Australia and beyond. Artists and audiences are at the heart of the company, expressed in a dense programme of major works, commissions, residencies and education offerings. Over the last 30 years, Chunky Move has performed in 134 cities in 150 festivals throughout the world, engaged over 376 artists and independent creatives and captivated over 610,000 audiences.

Antony Hamilton

Antony Hamilton was appointed Artistic Director and co-CEO of Chunky Move in 2019. His choreographic work examines the elemental and primordial nature of the body, set against intersecting narratives that explore past, present and future. He often employs a sophisticated melding of movement, sound and visual design to collaboratively imagine complete worlds, and develops new choreographic languages to occupy them. In his time as Artistic Director at Chunky Move, Antony has premiered new works including Token Armies (2019), Universal Estate (2019), Yung Lung (2022), Rewards for the Tribe (2022), AB_TA_Response (2022), 4/4 (2023), You, Beauty (2024), and U>N>I>T>E>D (2025).

Gabber Modus Operandi

Instagram

Gabber Modus Operandi was founded by Kasimyn and Ican Harem following their fad staging at an underground punk concert in Denpasar. Their experimentation began with a healthy obsession for the energy and intensity of jathilan (Javanese ritualised trance-dance), gabber, dangdut koplo (Indonesian folk music), Chicago footwork, grind core and noise music. Gabber Modus Operandi attempt to bridge the gap between humour and the darkness of contemporary music and tradition in Indonesia.

Future Loundry

Instagram

Future Loundry is a Bali-based street fashion label project by Ican Harem and Manda Pinkygurl that combines upcycling practices and the art of identity expression. By collecting used clothing from various genres, subcultures and communities—including punk, metal, and disco—and sewing them together, they create new experiences from past items. Their philosophy as designers is: “What you need is actually a new experience, not new material.”

Creature Technology Co.

Website | Instagram

Founded in Melbourne Australia in 2006, Creature Technology Co. (CTC) revolutionised animatronic entertainment through the production of Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular. With a vision to emotionally connect an audience to a cast of prehistoric beasts, CTC used never before seen technology to set a new benchmark in storytelling through animatronics. Since then, CTC’s work has spanned throughout the globe and the many genres of live entertainment from arena shows and theatre productions to exhibitions and more recently, the world’s most awe-inspiring theme park attractions.

Benjamin Cisterne

Benjamin Cisterne’s reputation is for finesse, excellence and a gutsy approach to design, based in light. Benjamin is known for creating bold designs that are integral to a project. He has 20 years of experience designing in museum, exhibition and performing arts contexts, and is passionate about the capability of light in spatial design, performance and its role in art. Benjamin has extensive experience working both nationally and internationally with diverse teams and projects, and his work has been recognised with Greenroom Awards, Sydney Theatre Awards and Illuminating Engineers Society awards on multiple occasions.

Date & Time

26 Sep 2025, Fri

7.30pm

Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade

There will be a post-show dialogue.

27 Sep 2025, Sat

7.30pm

Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade

There will be a post-show dialogue.

28 Sep 2025, Sun

3pm

Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade
Assistive listening icon

Assistive Listening

Assistive listening system is available for this venue. Hearing aid users with a Telecoil-enabled programme can benefit from the system provided. Please arrive at the venue 30 min before the performance so we can assist with the setup.

Tickets & Prices
Standard

Students, NSFs, Seniors & PWDs
(Limited)

Price $58 $46.40

  • Standard Ticket

  • Concession Ticket

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Discover: 15% savings (Min. of 2 tickets)

 

From 16 Jul 2025, 10am
Discover: 10% savings (Min. of 2 tickets)

 

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Tote Board Arts Grant

All Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges/ Centralised Institute & ITEs may use the Tote Board Arts Grant to subsidise up to 50% of the programme cost. 

 

For more details, please contact Esplanade Box Office at 6828 8389 or email boxoffice@esplanade.com.

Esplanade Presents

60 Connections
At Home and Afar

Sixty live and digital works bring to life Singapore stories and international collaborations, in celebration of SG60.

 

Plus, purchase $60 worth of ticket vouchers for only $50. While stocks last!

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