Jagad throws at us the eternal question – how do we translate ourselves? We present a different version of ourselves depending on where we are, who we are talking to. And the world in turn sees us through different prisms, particularly for those of us who live in the borders between cultures and definitions. Jagad is a work that throws us into different perceptions of the same ‘reality’. By working in a fluid collaboration with Melanie and Rianto, and using the fluidity of time, scale and sound, bodies shift and transpose through different states, always framed and mediated by the camera lens.

Monica Lim is a pianist, composer and sound technologist. Monica has produced work for theatre, contemporary dance, installations and film, as well as solo and ensemble instrumental pieces. She is interested in new cross-disciplinary genres and forms as well as combinations of new technology with music. Her work has been presented at White Night, Melbourne Fringe, Arts Centre Melbourne, AsiaTOPA, Science Gallery Melbourne and international conferences such as ANAT Spectra and ISEA. Monica is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Melbourne in gesture-led composition and Artificial Intelligence in interactive art.

Melanie Lane is a Australian-Javanese choreographer and performer. Her independent work has been presented at international festivals and theatres in Europe. USA, Indonesia and Australia. She has been commissioned to create new works for Chunky Move, Sydney Dance Company, DanceNorth, Australasian Dance Collective, West Australian Ballet, Schauspiel Leipzig, HAU Berlin and choreographed for English National Opera's 'Salome' directed by Adena Jacobs. In 2015 she was resident director at Lucy Guerin Inc. and has been nominated for Helpmann and Green Room awards as both performer and choreographer including the Shirley McKechnie Award for Choreography. Melanie was the recipient of the 2018 Keir Choreographic Award in Australia and the 2017 Leipziger Bewegungskunstpreis in Germany. Melanie is currently Resident Artist at The Substation Melbourne and Associate Artist at QL2 Canberra.

Rianto trained in classical Javanese dance from a young age, specialising in the cross-gender form of Lengger. He has been based in Tokyo since 2003 where he founded the Classical Javanese dance company, Dewandaru Dance Company. He has worked with a spectrum of international choreographers, performance-makers and companies whilst remaining dedicated to his training and own voice for contemporary Javanese performing arts. Projects include working with Amran Khan Company, Korean choreographer Sen Hea Ha, Chen Shi Zheng's Opera at Schubert Theatre, Boston and London Coliseum with the English National Opera, Choy Ka Fai's SoftMachine and Japanese dance company Pappa TARAHUMARA. Artist residencies include Staadstheatre Darmstadt, Germany, deSingel, Antwerp and Nottle Theatre Company, Korea. In 2018, renowned Indonesian film director Garin Nugroho made the film ‘Memories of My Body’ inspired by Rianto's life.

Producer: Monica Lim
Creative Concept: Monica Lim
Choreographers: Rianto, Melanie Lane
Dancers: Rianto, Lilian Steiner, Surekha Krishnan, Mason Kelly, Samuel Harnett-Welk, Damien Meredith
Sound Design: Monica Lim
Live Camera Design: Sean Healy, James Wright
Live Camera Operators: Sean Healy, Emile Zile
Lighting Designer: Nick Moloney
Stage Manager: Kaite Head

This project has been assisted by the Victorian Government though Creative Victoria and the City of Melbourne through Arts House.