R.A.I.N
Harrison Ritchie-Jones
World Premiere
Presented by Arts House
Wednesday 16 – Sunday 20 September 2026
Wed – Fri, 7:30pm
Sat, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sun, 5pm
50 mins, no interval
Post-show artist talk for all ticket holders
Thu 17 Sep
Tickets
Standard $40
Reduced $25
BLAKTIX $15
Companion Card Free
A small transaction fee will be charged per order.
Content Advice
Suitable for ages 15+
The work contains adult themes, coarse language, haze, loud music, sudden loud noises, flashing lights, strobe lights, abrupt lighting changes, low lighting, lights black out and lights that colour and intensity.
An Access Guide will be available for download prior to the event.
Arts House
North Melbourne Town Hall
521 Queensberry St,
North Melbourne
Wheelchair Accessible
Quiet Space Available
Assistance Animal
Companion Card
Assistive Listening
Visual Rating 50%
Aural Rating 50%A bold and brilliant work of contemporary dance, R.A.I.N slips between hypnotic control, deadpan absurdity and sudden slapstick betrayal.
Breaking and collapsing, past and future haunt each other. The file is corrupted. Who took the medal?
From award-winning choreographer and dancer Harrison Ritchie-Jones, R.A.I.N enters a reflective meditation which gets hijacked by fictional histories. Or perhaps they’re futures.
The performers follow the energetic memory of their own structures until their bodies develop rogue agendas. What emerges is a strange, shared world that oscillates between doing, sensing and performing. Driven by an internal, compulsive logic, R.A.I.N tests repetition to its absolute limit, where the gnarlier a movement looks, the more sensitivity it demands.
Anchored in a rigorous physical investigation, R.A.I.N is a self-reflexive study in surrender and resistance, knowing exactly how to commit to the bit when the tracks begin to falter.
About the artists
Harrison Ritchie-Jones is an award-winning choreographer and dancer based in Naarm/Melbourne whose work is recognised for its eclectic, unconventional approach to contemporary dance. Blending contrasting forms with technical precision, his practice explores physical virtuosity and surreal storytelling. His works have been presented across Australia in theatres, galleries, festivals and nightclubs, with commissions from organisations including Sydney Dance Company, Stephanie Lake Company, Chunky Move, Dark Mofo and RISING Festival. As a performer, he has worked extensively with leading Australian choreographers including Stephanie Lake, Antony Hamilton, Jo Lloyd, Lucy Guerin, Melanie Lane and Alisdair Macindoe, appearing in works presented nationally and internationally. His choreographic practice has earned multiple Green Room Awards and the 2025 Melbourne Fringe Director’s Choice Award.
Michaela Tancheff
Michaela Tancheff is a Naarm/Melbourne based dance artist. Graduating from Transit Dance in 2018, Michaela is a long time collaborator of Harrison Ritchie-Jones, performing in his works ‘GAF’, ‘Requiem for a CUDDLE’, ‘R.A.I.N’, ‘Tantrum for 6’. Michaela has performed extensively across Australia within multiple contexts from galleries, clubs and black box theatres. She has also performed in works by Chunky Move including ‘4/4’ and ’Token Armies’.
Moses Carr
Moses Carr is a Melbourne-based composer, producer, and mix engineer whose practice spans music, theatre, dance, film, and live performance. Since completing a Bachelor of Music in Composition at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2017, he has developed a unique skillset in collaborative practices with an interest in cross-disciplinary work.
His work in contemporary dance includes a live improvised score for Social Beast at Melbourne Fringe (2025), R.A.I.N by Harrison-Ritchie-Jones (2025) and Soft Futures (2023) by choreographer Hillary Goldsmith.
Artist statement
From a maker's makers perspective, I was really engaged with the challenge of creating a work in a more traditional setting - "the black box". Equally I wanted to strip my work of a lot of tricks/ props and theatrics that I'm normally drawn to, to feel more exposed and rawer, emotional & reflective. The work in a way nods to my past while fracturing and rewriting itself in a surreal and demanding way.
- Harrison Ritchie-Jones
Artistic credits
Dancers: Harrison Ritchie-Jones and Michaela Tancheff
Composers: Moses Carr and Nick Roder
Lighting Designer: Alex Nguyen
Costume Designer: Andrew Treloar
Production Manager: Shiv Geaney
Producer: Michaela Coventry
Details
World Premiere
Presented by Arts House
Wednesday 16 – Sunday 20 September 2026
Wed – Fri, 7:30pm
Sat, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sun, 5pm
50 mins, no interval
Post-show artist talk for all ticket holders
Thu 17 Sep
Tickets
Standard $40
Reduced $25
BLAKTIX $15
Companion Card Free
A small transaction fee will be charged per order.
Content Advice
Suitable for ages 15+
The work contains adult themes, coarse language, haze, loud music, sudden loud noises, flashing lights, strobe lights, abrupt lighting changes, low lighting, lights black out and lights that colour and intensity.
An Access Guide will be available for download prior to the event.
Arts House
North Melbourne Town Hall
521 Queensberry St,
North Melbourne
Wheelchair Accessible Quiet Space Available Assistance Animal Companion Card Assistive Listening Visual Rating 50% Aural Rating 50%Supported by –
This project has been assisted by Studio 24, Chunky Move and City of Melbourne through Arts House.
Image credit: R.A.I.N by Darren Gill
Image description: Two dancers mid action – one being flown/flipped mid air by the other dancer. Both dancers are wearing space-like wet suits in a dark stark environment.
