Choreographic Works
Wasps at War
Commissioned by: Strut Dance
Dancers: Lilly King, Dean-Ryan Lincoln, Rhiana Katz & Scott Ewen
Composer: Dane Yates
Lighting Designer: Fausto Brusamolino
Venue: Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre, Perth
About: Wasps at War investigates the forces of competition, conflict, and human ambition. Inspired by the instinctive drive to protect, challenge, and survive, the work explores what happens when individuals are compelled to fight for something they believe has value.
Through dynamic physical exchanges and evolving group relationships, the dancers navigate questions of worth, power, and belonging. As alliances form and rivalries emerge, Wasps at War examines the motivations that shape our actions and the personal beliefs that determine what we are willing to stand for.
Review: "The four dancers move together with strength, clarity and precision... Ewen has a way of fluidly blurring the lines so that 'tricks' explode impressively out of nothing."
— Seesaw Magazine
Running with Scissors from Lions
Commissioned by: Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Dancers: Third Year WAAPA Dance Students
Venue: Geoff Gibbs Theatre, Perth
About: Explores the tension between the desire to remain young and the inevitability of change. Drawing inspiration from psychologist Sarah Seung-McFarland’s research into society’s fixation on youth and beauty, the work examines the lengths we go to preserve an image of ourselves and the fears that accompany the ageing process.
Balancing strength with fragility, confidence with uncertainty, the choreography reveals the deeply human struggle between acceptance and resistance. Ultimately, Running with Scissors asks audiences to look beyond appearances and consider beauty, identity, and worth as qualities that evolve rather than fade with time.
Cardinal
Commissioned by: Queensland University of Technology
Dancers: QUT Dance Students
Venue: Riverstage Theatre, Brisbane
About: Cardinal responds to the silent crisis unfolding beneath the surface of our oceans. Inspired by the documentary Mission Blue and the work of Sylvia Earle, the piece explores a world in distress—a world that sustains life, regulates our climate, and connects us all, yet continues to suffer under the weight of human activity.
Balancing urgency with beauty, the choreography gives physical form to the ocean's resilience and vulnerability. Cardinal invites audiences to reflect on their relationship with the natural world and consider what may be lost if we fail to protect the ecosystems upon which all life depends.
Falling through Thunder Clouds
Commissioned by: Tso’s Dance Association & International Young Choreographers Project
Dancers: Tso’s Dance Association Dancers
Venue: Experimental Theatre, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
About: Falling through Thunder Clouds explores the fragile nature of belonging. Inspired by McMillan and Chavis' theory of Sense of Community, the work examines our innate desire to be accepted, supported, and understood by others, and the powerful role that connection plays in shaping our identity.
Through evolving group dynamics and evocative physical imagery, the dancers navigate the tension between unity and individuality, trust and suspicion, safety and exposure. Falling Through Thunder Clouds asks whether community truly makes us stronger, or whether the very relationships we depend upon also carry the potential to divide, betray, and isolate.
Blue Salt Zephyr
Commissioned by: Biennale de Danse Festival - Seychelles
Dancers: Dancers from Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion, South Korea & Germany
Venue: International Conference Centre Theatre, Victoria, Seychelles
About: Blue Salt Zephyr explores the invisible threads that connect humanity across oceans, skies, and borders. Inspired by the idea that the very elements often perceived as dividing us can instead unite us, the work reflects on our shared existence within an increasingly interconnected world.
Through sweeping physical imagery and collective movement, the choreography transforms distance into possibility, revealing how perspective can shape our understanding of one another. Blue Salt Zephyr is a celebration of connection, collaboration, and the boundless potential that emerges when we recognise that we are far more connected than we are apart.
Review: "Blue Salt Zephyr was simply AMAZING; movement in total harmony!'“
— Seychelles Nation
AUTO-immune
Commissioned by: LINK Dance Company - Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Dancers: Tanya Rodin, April Vardy, Cheyenne Davis, Scott Elstermann, Antonio Rinaldi
Venue: Geoff Gibbs Theatre, Perth
About: AUTO-immune explores the consequences of a system at war with itself. Inspired by the mechanisms of autoimmune disease, the work examines the confusion that arises when something familiar is perceived as a threat and the resulting cycle of protection, attack, and survival.
Through dynamic physical exchanges and shifting emotional landscapes, AUTO-immune gives form to the invisible struggle occurring beneath the surface of the body. The work reflects on themes of identity, vulnerability, resilience, and self-perception, asking what happens when the boundaries between self and other begin to blur.
Touring:
Montpellier, France (Mouvements sur la Ville - Montpellier Danse Festival)
Amsterdam, Netherlands (Vondelpark Openluchttheater)
Sydney, Australia (Io Myers Studio at University of New South Wales)
When a Butterfly Screams
Commissioned by: University of Madison - Wisconsin
Dancer: UMW Dance Students
Venue: Margaret H’Doubler Theatre, USA
About: When a Butterfly Screams explores the delicate chain of cause and effect that shapes our lives. Inspired by chaos theory and the notion that even the smallest actions can influence distant events, the work examines the interconnected nature of human experience and the far-reaching consequences of our choices.
Through dynamic interactions and shifting movement landscapes, the choreography investigates the ripple effects of human actions, emotions, and decisions. When a Butterfly Screams is a reflection on connection, consequence, and the often-unseen forces that link individual moments to larger transformations, reminding us that no action exists in isolation.
Wi-Flux
Commissioned by: Strut Dance
Dancer: Isabella Stone, Ella-Rose Trew, Giorgia Pisconeri & Scott Ewen
Venue: King Street Arts Centre, Perth
About: Wi-Flux examines the seductive power of technology and its influence on human behaviour. Exploring themes of obsession, addiction, and digital dependence, the work reflects on how constant connectivity can reshape our relationships, attention, and sense of self.
Through evolving movement patterns and fragmented interactions, Wi-Flux reveals the tension between technological progress and human authenticity. The choreography questions whether the tools designed to connect us are bringing us closer together or drawing us further away from ourselves, exposing the fragile balance between convenience, control, and humanity.
Velociraptor
Commissioned by: New Zealand School of Dance
Performed by: Contemporary Dance Students, New Zealand School of Dance
Venue: Te Whaea: National Dance and Drama Centre, Wellington, NZ
About: Velociraptor explores the invisible forces that shape human behaviour and relationships. Through powerful ensemble movement and shifting group dynamics, the work examines themes of belonging, exclusion, and collective identity. Combining physical intensity with emotional resonance, the choreography invites audiences to reflect on the ways we connect, conform, and navigate our place within a community.
Review: "One of the great highlights of the night... what thrilling choreography to give young dancers. With its slow start and rumbling score, it portrays the acts of unity and civil inattention that can embrace or lock humans out from one another."
— Dance Australia
Humanitis
Commissioned by: Adelaide College of the Arts
Dancers: Third Year Dance Students
Venue: X Space theatre, Adelaide
About: Humanitis draws inspiration from Social Strain Theory, which suggests that societal pressures can compel individuals towards deviant behaviour and crime. Exploring the relationship between the individual and the collective, the work examines how social expectations, exclusion, and the pursuit of success can create internal conflict and reshape human behaviour. Through powerful physical imagery and evolving group dynamics, Humanitis reveals the often-unseen forces that influence the choices we make.
Where the air is silent…
Commissioned by: Adelaide College of the Arts
Dancers: Third Year Dance Students
Venue: The Main Theatre, Adelaide
About: Explores the stories of Australian women who disappeared from ordinary places and ordinary moments. Inspired by real accounts and documented in Malcolm Brown’s expository text ‘Bombs, Guns & Knives,’ the work examines the tension between perceived safety and unseen danger, revealing how quickly the familiar can become uncertain.
Through powerful ensemble movement and evocative imagery, the choreography gives form to absence, vulnerability, and the lingering impact of loss. Where the air is silent... is both a reflection on violence against women and a meditation on the fragility of human security in a world that is not always as safe as it appears.
Zeroes & XENON
Commissioned by: Norges Dansehøyskole
Dancers: Third Year dance students
Venue: Riksscenen, Oslo - Norway
About: Zeroes & XENON explores the infinite landscape of the human mind. Moving between moments of chaos, clarity, and discovery, the work examines the exponential nature of thought and the remarkable capacity of human beings to imagine, create, and transform.
Through intricate physical interactions and shifting patterns of movement, the choreography gives form to ideas in motion—revealing a world where curiosity fuels innovation and possibility knows no limits. Zeroes & XENON is a celebration of human potential and the boundless power of imagination.
Brutal BODY
Commissioned by: World Dance Alliance Global Festival - ChoreoLab
Dancers: Dancers from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong & USA
Venue: SungShin University Theatre, Seoul, South Korea
About: Brutal Body investigates the extraordinary capacity of the human body and mind to endure. Through intense physical exertion and unrelenting momentum, the work explores the pursuit of limits—how far we are willing to push ourselves, what drives us to continue, and what remains when our reserves are exhausted.
Balancing power with vulnerability, Brutal Body examines the fine line between perseverance and self-destruction, revealing the complex relationship we have with pain, resilience, and the desire to transcend our perceived boundaries.
Statue
Commissioned by: Arts South Australia - Independent Project funding
Dancer: Scott Ewen
Venue: Landstrasse Residence, Vienna, Austria
About: Statue examines the human impulse to animate the inanimate. Inspired by the idea that meaning exists as much in the observer as in the object itself, the work explores how the mind constructs movement, narrative, and emotion where none physically exist.
Through evocative imagery, Statue blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination, questioning whether stories are discovered or created. The work is a reflection on perception, creativity, and the remarkable ability of human beings to breathe life into the still and the silent.
Cellular
Commissioned by: Arts South Australia - Independent Project funding
Dancer: Scott Ewen
Visual Artist: Scott Ewen
Video Artist & Engineer: Thomas Pachoud
Venue: Kunstall Art Gallery, Oslo, Norway
About: Cellular is an interdisciplinary performance installation that explores the unseen landscapes of the human body. Combining movement, audiovisual projection, drawing, and sound, the work imagines a world in which the body's internal architecture becomes visible, revealing the intricate networks, structures, and systems that sustain life.
Through an evolving dialogue between body and image, Cellular blurs the distinction between the internal and external, the scientific and the artistic. The work invites audiences to witness the body as a living ecosystem, uncovering the beauty, complexity, and interconnectedness that exist beneath the surface.
Shadow Orbit
Commissioned by: New Zealand Dance Company
Dancer: NZDC artists
Venue: Tāmaki Tour, New Zealand
About: Shadow Orbit examines the opposing forces that shape the human experience. Exploring the interplay between light and shadow, virtue and flaw, instinct and intention, the work reflects on the contradictions that exist within us all.
Through dynamic movement and shifting emotional landscapes, Shadow Orbit reveals the complexity of human decision-making and the delicate balance between competing aspects of our nature. The choreography invites audiences to consider how their choices define them, while questioning whether darkness and light are truly opposites, or simply different parts of the same whole.
After the Laughter
Commissioned by: Tso’s Dance Association
Dancers: Tso’s Dance Association Dancer
Venue: Experimental Theatre, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
About: After the Laughter investigates the hidden emotional landscapes that exist beneath everyday interactions. Inspired by the evocative street art of Herakut, the work explores how humour, play, and social performance can serve as mechanisms for survival, connection, and protection. Through intimate physical encounters and shifting relationships, the choreography examines the tension between the selves we present to the world and the emotions we carry privately.
As moments of joy dissolve and distractions fade, deeper truths begin to surface, revealing vulnerability, resilience, loneliness, hope, and the universal desire to be understood. The work reflects on the masks people adopt to navigate uncertainty and hardship, inviting audiences to look beyond appearances and consider the rich emotional worlds that exist beneath even the most ordinary moments. After the Laughter is a reflection on authenticity, human connection, and the delicate balance between what we reveal and what we choose to conceal.
