Darwin Esplanade, Sunday, August 17
Tracks Dance Studio Tuesday, August 19 & 21, 2025

Dance It - A Free Dance performance - Darwin Esplanade, opposite end of Peel Street
Sunday, August 17 - 6.00 pm. 

Listen Deep - A Deep Listening Party - Tracks Dance Studio
Tuesday, August 19 - 6:00 and 7.30 pm $30 & $20 conc
 
Tell Stories - An Evening of Stories - Tracks Dance Studio
Thursday, August 21 6:00 and 7.30 pm $30 & $20 conc
 

Winner of the 2025 Northern Territory Performing Arts Awards for Production Of The Year.

From reflection to action, Tracks’ Hope Collectors gathered stories, sounds and moves from the Darwin community, distilling them into a suite of offerings that reflected playfulness, resilience and optimism. In an uncertain world, hope becomes an active antidote -  a potent force that guides and connects us.

Antidote brings solutions, the power of collective visions. Antidote drew on the deep knowing that our community has of itself, of the dreams and aspirations of our passionate locals. Antidote is not just a performance. It is a package of arts offerings
 

PROGRAMME

DANCE IT
Free Dance performance - Darwin Esplanade, opposite end of Peel Street
Sunday, August 17 - 6.00 pm. Free.

A dance for the times we find ourselves in. On the Esplanade, beneath the spirit-filled Milkwood trees, and overlooking our glorious harbour, over 500 people came together to honour our shared hopes and aspirations. This free event celebrated the people of Darwin and their strong connection to this place. We invited the audience to witness movement shaped by our collective stories,  surprising them with how our differences came together on this special part of Darwin. Presented in a picnic style, audiences on rugs and mats rug soaked in our dry season weather as we leave behind  Dinidjanggama (Heavy Dew time) and enter Gurrulwa guligi (Big Wind time). Choreographed by Rachael Wallis, Jenelle Saunders and David McMicken. Stories gathered by Alyson Evans. Soundtrack by James Mangohig. One show only. Register to reserve your free ticket.

Cast

Larrakia Elder
Nadine Lee

Yolŋu Song Man
Banula Marika

7 Sisters
Aurora Feige-Falconer, Bryn Wackett, Ineke Wallis, Kate Mornane, Kelsey Bricknell, Olivia Marchesi, Tayla Edwards

Spirits of the Land
Amalia Briceno-Rossi, Audrey Mottram, Daisy Christal, Dusty Saunders, Florence Mbouti, Meredith Mottram, Tilda Gordon, Rachael Wallis

Earth Mother
Sheila Rose

Other Elders
Ellen Hankin, Marian Patterson, Desak Putu Warti, Nikki Charlesworth Canning, Tim Newth, David McMicken, Francess Perrett, Michele Dott

Endurance Dancer
Maari Gray

Antidote Dancers (Dote Crew)
Anita Lakatos, Balla Neba, Demelza Gikopoulos, Georgette De Costa, Jenelle Saunders, Jens Cheung, Kyhanna Tabakovic, Molly O’Hagan, Renee Chan, Tahlia Biggs

Doctors
Alyson Evans, Amalia Briceno-Rossi, Audrey Mottram, Ciella Williams, Dusty Saunders, Florence Mbouti, Meredith Mottram, Thomas McCarthy

Balinese Dancers
Ashifa Salma Putri Noor, Desak Putu Eka Suciari, Desak Putu Warti, Dyah Purba Ningrum Widyastuti, Eva Susanto, Kadek Ayu Dinda Wulandari

Honey Bees
Carson Christal, Florian McHugh, Gupulul Wallis, Ivy Crichton, Lyra Crichton, Maia Greene, Mariwirrku Wallis, Ruth Pardy

Tai Chi
Grace Dong

Creative Team and Production

Sound System
Speargrass HiFi

Creative Team
Rachael Wallis, Alyson Evans, David McMicken, James Mangohig, Jenelle Saunders

Production Manager
Duane Preston

Show Technician
Ward Hancock

Site Crew
Richard Mann

Administrator, Marketing and Communications, Front of House
Jocelyn Tribe

Front of House Manager
Sally Crawford

Front of House Volunteers
Libby Nuss, Marg O'Hurley, Ruttiya McElroy, Sheila Rose, Claudia Lee
 

Costumes
Many props and costumes were made during a community making day. Thank you to all the volunteers who turned up.

Special thanks go to: Nikki Charlesworth-Canning, Aurora Feige-Falconer, Eirini Mbouti, Ineke Wallis, Jill Feige, Bryn Wackett, Caiti Baker, Dani Heilbronn, Electra Srbinobski, Emma Corrick, Natalie Leysley

Poster design
Creepy Curlew

Photography
Duane Preston

Vox Poppers 
Anna Thomson, Caitlin Buralli , Crystal Brunyee, Di Lucas , Heather Docker, Jacqui Bonner, Lesley Merrett , Lloyd Babb , Maria Girdler , Michelle Parker , Natalie Gibbs , Richard Mann , Sarah Katz

Huge thanks also
To the hundreds of community members who provided us with their Antidotes, stories, sounds and minds.
Dan from 1300TempFence
City of Darwin

LISTEN DEEP – A Sonic Journey to a New Hope
Audiences stepped into a meditative soundscape that invited them to slow down and be immersed. Curated and created by music producer James Mangohig and the Tracks leadership team, this immersive listening experience drew on the rich sounds, voices, and instruments from our community that have been collected throughout the process of the team making Antidote. Listeners were invited to let the layers of rhythm, ambient soundscapes and cultural textures guide them through this session,  giving them a moment to reflect on what it means to live in this place.

TELL STORIES - Devised by Alyson Evans
A heartfelt evening of storytelling exploring the world we live in and the futures we imagine. Featuring real stories from local voices, this performance celebrated hope, resilience and joy across cultures and generations. Developed through the making of Antidote, each story invites the community to reflect on where we’ve come from and where we’re going. Tell Stories is a celebration of lived experience and collective vision - a night of community narratives that connect, uplift and imagine new possibilities for the future.

Cast

Live Story Tellers
Ellen Hankin
Grace Dong
Maari Gray
Alyson Evans

Recorded Stories (Drawn from Antidote - Dance It)
Banula Marika Marita Smith, Janine Sutter, Jacinta Chartres, Jenni Attrill, Ange O’Donnell, Julie Pudney, Katrina Harding, Mara Dobrini, Francess Perrett, Jaimie Page, Sheila Rose

Dancers
Elen Hankin, Julie Pudney, Lyn Minchin, Nikki Charleworth-Canning, David McMicken

Tracks 2025
 

Staff: Artistic Director: David McMicken. Artistic Leadership Team: Rachael Wallis, James Mangohig, Jenelle Saunders, Alyson Evans.  Company Director: Sean Pardy. Production Manager: Duane Preston.  Dance Animateur: Kelly Beneforti (On parental leave). Administrator: Jocelyn Tribe. Bookkeeper: It Figures. Auditors: AMW Audit

Committee Members: Chairperson: Max Dewa Stretton/David Taylor. Treasurer: Glenn Bernardin. Ordinary Members: Andrea Wicking, Max Stretton, Lachlan Peattie, Rachael Wallis, Venaska Cheliah, Sarah Rennie, Claudia Lee. Ex-Officio: David McMicken, Sean Pardy