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Press

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'Nankivell is capable of a choreography that evokes the sublimely poetic and her Neon Aether is a vision of ethereal beauty.'

- Bachtrack

 

'Nankivell has her dancers stretching and exploring the extremities of human movement. This is a fascinating performance that combines bold and inventive design with equally edgy choreography.'

- Hi Fi Way Neon Aether

 

'It’s a beautiful theatrical work that deserves to be seen by an international audience.'

- Audrey Journal on Neon Ather

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'A terrific new work from a singular and inventive voice.'

-LImelight on Wildebeest

 

'Nankivell sees beauty and wonder in the primitive, animalistic self, even with danger as a constant companion. Every molecule of the body is vibrantly alert, a state brilliantly captured by Bernhard Knauer at the beginning of Wildebeest and Janessa Dufty at the end.'

- The Australian

 

'I don’t know if there is such a thing as a distinctly Australian sensibility as it relates to dance but if there is, then Gabrielle Nankivell’s Wildebeest defines it... a masterful work on a lot of levels that begins with an act of imagination.

- Backtrack (USA)

 

'The central sequence, where unfolds a work of frantically agitated arms but in an impeccable geometry, is a perfect success. Wildebeest emits a powerful energy, served well by this gifted dance troop.'

- Danses avec la plume (Paris)

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'Gabrielle Nankivell's Wildebeest leads the charge. This nomadic Australian-born choreographer shapes the dancers' supple, athletic bodies in all kinds of unexpected directions, injecting them with a dynamism that is dazzling, especially in the breakout solos. Now, with the time and attention afforded a main season production, and dancers with the talent and determination to make it work, Wildebeest has developed into a signature piece.'

-Sydney Morning Herald

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'The Incandescent Dark is a haunting and yet beautifully touching work.'

- Fjord Review

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'This is a live performance unlike any other, amalgamating movement, sound, words, objects and physical movement. The impossibility of its neat categorisation is a perfect reflection of the complexity of portraying one true essence of place. Sightings is as real and extraordinary a portrayal of place and community as you might ever see. Don’t miss it.'

- Katherine Tamiko Arguile

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'The piece is extraordinary. The mass of bodies rolling from side to side on set breathed biological awareness. The whole work exuded a duality of strength and feeling. The movements and creative physical dynamics offered an empowered experience driven by exceptional dance.'

- Arts Hub on Carbon Field

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'Split Second Heroes is an inventive, humorous and wry work that keep the audience’s attention from beginning to end. Superbly performed by this local choreographer and her very accomplished cast of two, it is at once entertaining and thought-provoking.'

- Dance Australia

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'Split Second Heroes is a thought-provoking tale of the future set in the present that explores the meaning of life in an energetic and entertaining way.'

- The AU Review​​

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'Not one for the claustrophobic, Suite Secret feels a bit like being in a David Lynch film with its evocative combination of the mundane and the bizarre.'

- The West Australian

Gabrielle Nankivell

 

Gabrielle's video links can be viewed here.

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Gabrielle is an acclaimed Australian artist. Her atmospheric performance works and immersive projects are known for their vivid choreography, attention to detail and evocative combinations of the mundane and the bizarre.

 

Recognised as a leading independent, commissioned by highly regarded dance companies and cultural organisations, Gabrielle's work has been widely presented across Australia, Europe and Asia by Adelaide Festival Centre, Arts House (Melbourne), Brisbane Powerhouse, Cankarjev Dom (Slovenia), Carriageworks (Sydney), Esplanade Theatres (Singapore), Festival d’automne (France), High Fest Yerevan (Armenia), Klapstuk (Belgium), Lyric Theatre (Hong Kong), Roslyn Packer Theatre (Sydney), Le Théâtre National de la Danse Chaillot (Paris), Theatre Royal Hobart, The Joyce (NYC), The Place (London) & Vitalstatistix (Port Adelaide) as well as unique halls, galleries and open-air venues across Armenia, Andalucía and regional Australia.

 

Recent works include The Incandescent Dark for Australasian Dance Collective, Welcome to Galactica for Brisbane Festival’s Art Boat, Sightings, an interdisciplinary portrait of place and social practice project with Vitalstatistix, Future History, a full-evening solo performance and Wonder Grit, an action-packed performance text commissioned for The Move and presented by Adelaide Festival Centre. Other notable commissions include Wildebeestand and Neon Aether for Sydney Dance Company, Carbon Field with 40 dancers of the Queensland Ballet & ADC, Order of Things and Focus for Frontier Danceland Singapore and SURGE for Dancenorth for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

 

In 2024 Gabrielle premiered Kaleidoscope, a new work for QL2 Dance in Canberra, debuted practicing between us / magic between us, an experimental crowd-sourced solo performance score at Dock 11, Berlin and worked as Artistic Assistant/Co-Choreographer on Maxine Doyle’s FIFTEEN MINUTES for Nederlands Dans Theater 2.

 

As a collaborative performer Gabrielle has worked with Australian Dance Theatre, Alexander Baervoets (BE), Chunky Move/Gideon Obarzanek, Gavin Webber/Regurgitator, Jurij Konjar (SLO), Maxine Doyle (UK), The Farm, Thomas Steyaert (BE), Raul Maia (PT) & Ultima Vez/Wim Vandekeybus (BE) amongst others. She is currently performing in Salamander conceived by Maxine Doyle & Es Devlin. Gabrielle’s eclectic experience across Theatre, Film and Opera ranges from choreography and movement direction for stage and film productions such as State Theatre Company of South Australia’s The Popular Mechanicals, Windmill Theatre Co’s multi award-winning School Dance and Girl Asleep and internationally acclaimed Australian feature film Girl Asleep, to performing in well-known tragic operas, immersive theatre performances, Castellucci’s production of Mozart’s Requiem and Michael Kantor’s Arthouse feature film The Boy Castaways.

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Gabrielle is the recipient of the inaugural Keith Bain Choreographic Travel Fellowship, the Tanja Liedtke Fellowship (2015) and an Arts South Australia Fellowship (2019). She was Artist in Residence at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts (2017), Sydney Dance Company’s inaugural Training Associate (2021) and part of Australasian Dance Collective’s artistic leadership team (2022/23).

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​@gabnank

www.gabriellenankivell.com
 

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