The latest work from Raewyn Hill, presented in collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO), is a poignant exploration of ageing, resilience, and the unseen forces that shape our lives. IN THE SHADOW OF TIME features live music performed by the acclaimed ACO Collective, and costumes by visionary Australian fashion designer Akira Isogawa. It premieres in Perth at Liberty Theatre from September 17-20 before touring regionally to Margaret River, Albany and Bunbury.
Five dancers move on a rotating stage that never stops, echoing the relentless passage of time. Beneath them, a single figure pushes the stage symbolising the quiet support that carries us through life’s challenges. The sublime music, including works by Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass and Caroline Shaw, captures the ebb and flow of time, providing ever-needed moments of reflection. Drawing inspiration from the precision of a Japanese tea ceremony, the work captures the exchange of energy and fleeting truths between people, offering a powerful meditation on human connection and endurance.
Hill describes the circular motion of the stage as representing the relentless, quiet, constant loop of time. “The dancers must negotiate it moment to moment. It becomes both challenge and companion. It’s like life: we move, we stumble, we adjust, we carry on.” Hill says. “The dancers transform. They find new weight, new rhythm. Their bodies respond emotionally to the shifting floor, to the unrelenting pace. It requires deep presence and trust in each other. Their performances are breathtaking; they are remarkable artists at the height of their power.”
Of the chosen composers, Hill explains that each composer speaks to time in a different voice. Pärt giving stillness and sacredness. Glass offering pulse and repetition, the heartbeat. Shaw bringing ache and reverence. Together, they create a sonic cathedral in which the dancers live and breathe.
Working with the Australian Chamber Orchestra has shaped this work, with both companies sharing a commitment to emotional precision. Hill says, “The music isn’t accompaniment; it’s a living force. To create with musicians present, responding in real time, with 12 players surrounding the space it elevates everything. It’s intimate, breathtaking, and rare.”
“It is the ACO’s 50th anniversary and Co3’s 10th. We both carry a legacy of artistic ambition. This collaboration honours that and pushes it forward. Touring with a live orchestra is a rare and profound achievement, one I’m so proud we are realising.”
Hill has been deeply influenced by Japanese culture and studied butoh, a form of Japanese dance theatre, under renowned master and Japanese dancer Yoshito Ohno; crediting her time with him as shaping her understanding of space, silence and transformation. “This work holds that influence in every breath.” she says.
Another Japanese connection is the collaboration with Japanese-born Australian fashion designer Akira Isogawa, who has designed costumes for this work. Hill says, “Working with Akira was like stepping into poetry. We spoke about transparency, layering, recycling, reimagining, and the traces of time. We wanted costumes that felt lived-in and delicate, like memory. He understood the works emotional spine intuitively. We looked through his 30-year archive, it was like walking through memory.”
“Coincidentally Akira designed a previous collection of ACO concert uniforms, so we are using those as the basis for the players and have chosen pieces from this collection to reimagine for the dancers. We have upcycled the past garments, tracing time in cloth. These pieces hold stories and now take on new meaning in the bodies of the next generation of musicians and dancers. It is a beautiful embodiment of the work’s themes, of endurance, of reimagining, of transformation. Akira’s kindness and artistry is imprinted in every stitch of this work.”
Lighting Designer Mark Haslam has worked with Raewyn Hill for many years and his design is integral to the work.
The confined space of the rotating stage allows light to sculpt the dancers in profound ways. “Mark makes my work appear like paintings; it is beyond beautiful. A back wall of moving clouds creates a sense of time moving through space. This is an immersive production. The musicians are with us. The dancers are close. There is no fourth wall. It is not about spectacle, it is a quiet revelation. A human offering. You will be held by sound, light, and presence.” Hill said.
PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES
Wednesday 17 September 7.30 (OPENING)
Thursday 18 September 7.30pm
Friday 19 September 7.30pm
Saturday 20 September 2pm (matinee) and 7.30pm
REGIONAL TOUR
Tuesday 23 September 7.00pm
Nala Bardip Mia – Margaret River HEART
Thursday 25 September 7.30pm
Albany Entertainment Centre
Saturday 27 September 7.00pm
Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre
May contain lighting effects and haze, subject to confirmation.
This season of IN THE SHADOW OF TIME is devised & directed by Raewyn Hill, in collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and supported by the City of Perth.
