Acclaimed New Zealand choreographer Michael Parmenter returns with OrphEus – a dance opera, a bold new work with The New Zealand Dance Company.

Drawing on a ravishing musical score, including Rameau and Charpentier, OrphEus reflects a period during which the ancient Greek hero invoked a harmonious cosmos and a hierarchical political order. Since then, Orpheus has come to represent art’s power to transcend suffering and death.

In this richly layered, epic dance work Parmenter brings these contending perspectives into conflict and dialogue. OrphEus confronts the power of music and voice in both the personal and the political realms, revealing, in this familiar story of love and loss, the tensions between seduction and restraint, harmony and disorder.

Combining the power of dance, live music and theatre, Parmenter’s incredible vision is brought to life by The New Zealand Dance Company, performing alongside Grammy Award-winning American tenor Aaron Sheehan, baroque ensemble Latitude 37 and special guests.

Through the lens of this mythic yet deeply personal tragedy, OrphEus thrillingly stages the eternal challenge of the artist – to seek the familiar or venture into dangerous uncharted territory.

 

“Michael Parmenter’s name is synonymous with bold and innovative contemporary dance… challenging, thought provoking and fulfilling.” — The Press

 

Co-produced by Auckland Arts Festival, New Zealand Festival and The New Zealand Dance Company