German writer turned choreographer Raimund Hoghe has created an intimate fusion of theatre and dance based on Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, in which he and Lorenzo de Brabandere form an unlikely partnership. Hoghe is middle-aged, hunchbacked and attired in formal clothes.  De Brabandere is young, tall and wears a T-shirt and track pants. Together and apart they enact ritualistic movements, their mirrored gestures reinforcing their physical disparity while building a mesmerising portrait of likeness, turbulence, desire and trust. Sacre – The Rite of Spring features the adventurous Alain Franco and Guy Vandromme playing Stravinsky’s own adaptation for two pianos. The music underscores and amplifies the play of opposites in ways that are idiosyncratic, sensuous and spiritual. Presented by Carriageworks and Sydney Festival.

Image: Rosa Frank