Bad Nature | Australasian Dance Collective, The Club Guy & Roni, Studio Boris Acket and HIIIT

All images: David Kelly

The first week of the 2025 Brisbane Festival has opened with several incredible dance experiences, with more to come. Bad Nature is an exciting collaboration between Australasian Dance Collective (ADC) and the Club Guy & Roni (CGR) that brings together multidisciplinary artists Boris Acket, Maison the Faux, and HIIIT.  

Conceived as a production that ‘looks unflinchingly at our relationship to our environment and to one another,’ Bad Nature is a visual and sonic dance spectacle that encourages audiences to think about the challenges for our collective futures. In developing Bad Nature, the creatives sought to explore the increasing disconnection between humans and nature, to understand ‘if technology might build a bridge toward more sustainable ways of living,’ and created a work that reflects ‘the best and worst of humanity … rich with allegories of control, love, destruction and ultimately, hope.’ For me, the experience was more a call to action to create a more peaceful, sustainable world that restores the balance between humans and the world in which we all live.

All images: David Kelly

From the moment they step onto the stage, the percussive Bad Nature soundscape is incredible, thanks to the work of onstage HIIIT musicians and performers (Louis Frere-Harvey, Max Frimout, Niels Meliefste). I can see that the soundtrack would work equally well in a concert hall, and for a sci-fi film—and it is the perfect choice for the choreographic team to work with.

As might be expected with such a strong team of choreographers (choreography by Roni Haver, Amy Hollingsworth, Jack Lister, and Guy Weizman), the dancing is moving, powerful, high-energy, and occasionally confronting. It is remarkable to see how dancers from different countries across the world can work so well together—with an impressive collaboration between ADC dancers (Sam Hall, Lilly King, Taiga Kita-Leong, Jack Lister, Lily Potger, and Georgia Van Gils) and Club Guy & Roni dancers (Camilo Chapela, Nicky Daniels, Angela Herenda, Adam Peterson, Igor Podsiadly, and Jésula Toussaint Visser).

However, it is the completeness of the visual experience that is, for me, the most impressive aspect of Bad Nature. Boris Acket has created the synthetic world of Bad Nature, blending sound, light, and kinetic sculptures that includes the mesmerising use of a ‘veil’ that moves and changes throughout the performance—referencing atomic clouds, temporary refuges, and even blankets for safety and comfort. The lighting design is an important element in the event, where the rising and falling of roof-lights create a sense of breathing and of hope, while searchlights indicate ‘big brother’ confrontation as well as the rising and setting of the sun on the bleak landscape. Here I’d qualify my praise with a few caveats on the lighting, as there were moments I didn’t enjoy quite so much, particularly where lights are directed at the audience—but it is easy to look away if you find it occasionally too strong, too red, or bright.

All images: David Kelly

Bad Nature experiences and reflections of the members of the audience will not only be deeply personal, but will also depend on seat selection. Towards the back of the auditorium you are less likely to be able to see the details of the fabulous Maison the Faux costumes; sitting in the first few rows you run the risk of occasionally being engulfed in smoke haze or dry ice; and sitting in the centre you might just find that one of the lights comes a little too close overhead. For future runs, I suggest booking seats for more than one show, selecting each according to your preference!

Immersed in Bad Nature, and in the worlds created by the talented team of creatives and performers, I reflected on the news footage of current wars around the world and the reporting of the climate challenges we all face. Coming out of Bad Nature, I described it to my waiting friends as an otherworldly, thought-provoking, dystopian meeting of The Matrix with elements of The Terminator and other sci-fi favourites. Sadly the short Brisbane Festival run has now ended, so I can’t suggest you go along to see how Bad Nature makes you feel, or if you agree with me that the ‘dinosaur bat’ element might have benefited from being a slightly shorter part of the concluding movement. Fortunately I can strongly recommend that you follow Australasian Dance Collective, and book tickets for their future shows to see how their practice continues to evolve.

All images: David Kelly

Bad Nature played at the Brisbane Powerhouse from 3-7 September 2025 as part of the 2025 Brisbane Festival. The reviewer attended the Sunday 7th September performance (6:30pm).