Agitato by Jo Lloyd
Dates
Hours
Duration
Location
Presented by Bunjil Place, Sydney Dance Company, Dancehouse and Australian Dance Theatre
Agitato is inspired by composer & pianist Fanny Mendelssohn’s little-known piece Allegro molto agitato in D Minor (1823), a remarkable work largely overlooked due to the limited social expectations of the time it was written.
Rather than telling the historical story of the music, Agitato explores its emotional and physical energy through dance. Every piano note in the original score influences the choreography, creating a restless and intense performance.
The work becomes a dialogue between Fanny’s precision and musical discipline and Jo Lloyd’s desire to challenge traditional forms and create a different artistic perspective.
The performance balances moments of hesitation and restraint with an underlying sense of chaos. It allows room for unpredictability, giving the dancers freedom to discover their own patterns and structures within that chaos.
Through the work, Lloyd highlights both the complexity of Fanny’s music and the fact that her achievements were hidden for so long. The dance reflects on the silence surrounding her work as well as the impact of bringing it into the public eye.
In this way, the dance becomes a contemporary response to the music. It offers a connection between the past and the present, creating a conversation across centuries and sharing a new understanding of Fanny Mendelssohn’s work with today's audiences.
’compelling choreography' The Saturday Paper (Philipa Rothfield)
★★★★ 'intensity and complexity that challenges but enthrals’ The Age (Andrew Fuhrmann)
Performers: Rebecca Jensen, Jo Lloyd, Louie Wisby, Thomas Woodman.
Creative Team
Choreographer: Jo Lloyd
Dancers: Rebecca Jensen, Jo Lloyd, Louie Wisby, Thomas Woodman
Composer: Duane Morrison
Costume Designer: Andrew Treloar
Lighting Designer Shiv Geaney
Dramaturg: Anny Mokotow
Dancers in Original Production: Harrison Ritchie-Jones, Lee Serle
Producer of Original Production: Michaela Coventry - Sage Arts
Content Warning: Partial nudity
Image: Jo Lloyd, photo by Peter Rosetzky
Education Bookings
Agitato has an exclusive performance for schools only.
School Performance: Friday 20 November, 10.00 am
Duration: 45 mins, no interval + 15 min Q&A after matinee
Tickets: Students & Teachers are Free (Ratio 1 teacher per 10 students)
More information for teachers is available here.
Dates
Friday 20 November
7.00 pm - 7.45 pm
Tickets
Please note: A Service fee of $3.50 applies to bookings made online and by phone (unless tickets are free of charge). Delivery Fees may also apply.
For general ticketing and box office information (including conditions of sale) see our Ticketing services information page.
For accessibility bookings or other box office inquiries please email bunjilplace@casey.vic.gov.au or phone 03 9709 9700.
ORBIT has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body and delivered in partnership by Australian Dance Theatre, Dancehouse and Sydney Dance Company.
