Dance & Physical Theatre

《一》by Shian Law

A stylish rendering of the artist’s autobiography and burning passion for calligraphy.

$30.00
Sessions & Tickets View Comments
A photograph of a figure leaning their body in the midst of motion in front of a midnight blue backdrop. They have long black hair and brown piece of fabric covers their mouth and the bottom of their nose. They are wearing a black, long sleeve mesh top, and tanned underpants, with their legs bare. One leg is bent to suggest their movement from the right to the left of the picture frame. They look down with curiosity and anguish down towards their out-stretched hand which clenches a small black feather.
A photograph of a person in the throws of movement. They wear a black long sleeve mesh top, and tanned underpants – their legs are bare. They have long black hair and their mouth and nose is covered by a piece of fabric tied around their face and neck. They appear to have been captured in a jumping motion with one hand bent across their chest and another over their head. Their eyes are closed and their expression is one of deep ecstasy.
Past Event

Image Credit: Peter Rosetzky

A photograph of a figure leaning their body in the midst of motion in front of a midnight blue backdrop. They have long black hair and brown piece of fabric covers their mouth and the bottom of their nose. They are wearing a black, long sleeve mesh top, and tanned underpants, with their legs bare. One leg is bent to suggest their movement from the right to the left of the picture frame. They look down with curiosity and anguish down towards their out-stretched hand which clenches a small black feather.
A photograph of a person in the throws of movement. They wear a black long sleeve mesh top, and tanned underpants – their legs are bare. They have long black hair and their mouth and nose is covered by a piece of fabric tied around their face and neck. They appear to have been captured in a jumping motion with one hand bent across their chest and another over their head. Their eyes are closed and their expression is one of deep ecstasy.

  • Created and Performed by: Shian Law

  • Presented by: Temperance Hall

Pronounced as yī, 一 is the horizontal stroke that represents number one in Chinese Han characters. Simply by adding a second horizontal stroke to the foundational mark, one becomes two: 二 èr.

Ideographically, 一 Yī precedes 人 rén, humankind. Above人 rén, a horizontal stroke forms 天 tīan, heaven; underneath 人 rén, the horizontal stroke forms 土tŭ, terra.

The Confucianist code that binds two people in all forms of social relations is 仁 rén, the virtue of compassion.

《一》is a new dance work by choreographer-auteur Shian Law. From their resistance to cultural atavism comes a stylish rendering of the artist’s autobiography and burning passion for calligraphy.

Set to a Sofia Coppola-esque soundtrack, from inscribing a singular line 一yī, the artist catapults their poetic musing on the uniqueness of life, Taoist cosmogony, Confucian humanistic philosophy, while deep diving among the cultural planktons of celebrity obsession (Lu Xianren, Balenciaga, etc.).

Experience the epicentre of experimental choreography at Temperance Hall this Melbourne Fringe Festival. If you’re hungry for more cutting-edge dance, we are offering 30% discounts on ticket-bundles. Book to see ‘Dunes Rolling Down Dunes’ by Benjamin Hurley and '《一》’ by Shian Law and use the promo code HOTSTUFF at the checkout.

About Temperance Hall

Phillip Adams BalletLab at Temperance Hall is the Australian amplifier of queer, experimental dance, performance and art. We champion fearless artistic expression through bold curation, development and presentation of programs that challenge and deepen the broader Australian cultural conversation. Temperance Hall provides a counterpoint to dominant cultural narratives through a celebration of artistic non-compliance and artform reinvention.

  • Duration: 50 minutes

  • Event Accessibility: Deaf or Hard of Hearing Rating: Partially Accessible, English no barrier

  • Age suitability: PG

  • Event warnings: Haze Effects.

  • Content warnings: Death.

  • Temperance Hall
    199 Napier St, South Melbourne, VIC, 3205

    Partial Wheelchair Access

    Temperance Hall is partially wheelchair accessible.

    The Main Hall (downstairs) is accessed via the main entrance. The bar is located on the first floor and is accessible only via stairs.

    There is nearby on-street parking for permit holders.

    There is an accessible toilet downstairs at this venue.

    Get directions See all events at this venue See detailed venue & access information

  • Full: $30.00

  • Concession: $22.00

  • Extra Applause: $45.00

  • Blak Tix: $15.00

Sessions: In Person Events

A single $5.50 transaction fee applies to your booking.

Date Time Venue

Wednesday, 11 October 2023

6:30pm

Temperance Hall

 Past Event

Thursday, 12 October 2023

6:30pm

Temperance Hall

 Past Event

Friday, 13 October 2023

6:30pm

Temperance Hall

 Past Event

Saturday, 14 October 2023

6:30pm

Temperance Hall

Sold Out
 Past Event

You may also like…

  • If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You by John O'Donovan

    A raucous and unlikely romantic drama - twenty feet up.

    Performed by Asher Griffith-Jones & River Stevens
    Dates 05 - 21 Oct (75min)
    Venue Meat Market - Stables
    more less
    Two individuals standing side by side, one in a white tank top and grey sweat pants and the other in a grey tank top and black hoodie
    Genre: Theatre
    Past Event
    More Information
  • Dances & Dreams

    An immersive exhibition by diverse female artists celebrating connection to nature & ancestry.

    Curated by Leila Lois
    Dates 19 - 22 Oct (Come and go as you please)
    Venue Abbotsford Convent - The Store
    more less
    Genre: Experimental
    Past Event
    More Information
  • Muthering Heights

    Our mum died for 4 minutes, so we wrote a silly play about it.

    Created and Performed by Julian Stickland & Tessa Stickland
    Dates 16 - 22 Oct (60min)
    Venue The Butterfly Club - Downstairs
    more less
    An image of Robyn, a woman in her 60s with greying black hair, wearing a coronation style crown. This is superimposed over a landscape photo of a Scottish moor and castle, in brown and orange hues, with a grey sky, all reflected in a lake below. The image of Robyn is slightly transparent, which blends her and the landscape together.
    Genre: Comedy
    Past Event
    More Information
  • Guài

    Unleash your inner monster with this AI-charged avatar experience.

    Created by Mindy Meng Wang and Monica Lim Contributing with Qiushi Zhou and the School of Computing and Information Systems, University of Melbourne
    Dates 05 - 15 Oct (30 minute sessions)
    Venue Footscray Community Arts - Performance Space
    more less
    A digital render of a nine-headed dragon-like monster with ferocious expression named Jiu Ying. The monster is in graduated colours of light blue to deep orange with a background of stormy grey clouds.
    Genre: Kids
    Past Event
    More Information
  • LOVE/LOVE/LOVE/LOVE/LOVE

    Welcome to Romance: Tessa's POV.

    Presented by Tessa Redman
    Dates 04 - 08 Oct (60min)
    Venue Festival Hub: Trades Hall - Meeting Room
    more less
    A young woman looks into the camera with a dead-pan expression, sitting on a chair with aluminium fairy wings attached to her back. Her legs are stretched in front of her and her hands lay casually in her lap. She is wearing underwear, socks, and a singlet with a bra on top.
    Genre: Dance & Physical Theatre
    Past Event
    More Information
  • Tits Out

    But not for the boys.

    Created by Shelley O'Meara
    Dates 11 - 14 Oct (45min)
    Venue Dancehouse - Upstairs Studio
    more less
    A vivid pink and blue image of a person of Anglo-Celtic descent, from waist to eye level. They are looking to the left with their left arm raised, and left fist resting on their cheek. Their right hand hovers in front of the centre of their chest. They are bare chested, with a blue rectangle censoring their nipple.
    Genre: Dance & Physical Theatre
    Past Event
    More Information
  • Hannah Sainty - Look Who's Stalking Now

    A hilarious cabaret about chasing dreams, getting chased and being gaslit by your algorithm.

    Artist Hannah Sainty
    Dates 06 - 07 Oct (60min)
    Venue Comedy Collective
    more less
    A photo of your main (and only) act - Hannah Sainty. She has long brown hair and blue lightning bolt earrings on.
    Genre: Cabaret
    Past Event
    More Information
  • Dancing The Tree

    Art and the figure are set in a colourful motion through ancient-inspired dance.

    Written and Directed by Rachel Rovay
    Dates 01 - 22 Oct (Come and go as you please)
    Venue Rovay Gallery
    more less
    The oval-framed central female figure is photographed in a dance pose next to a nature-strip urban tree surrounded by green plants. She has blond hair and is dressed in a blue Middle Eastern-inspired costume holding a blue veil flowing in the breeze to the left of the view. She is dancing against a collaged backdrop painting ablaze with colour and rhythmic abstract-shaped plants and trees.
    Genre: Visual Arts & Film
    Past Event
    More Information
  • hey

    Greetings to the loss of cells and memories in my body, leaves in fall, and the moon yesterday.

    Performed by Weichen Cui and Haocheng Zhang
    Dates 14 - 15 Oct (20min)
    Venue The MC Showroom - The Showroom
    more less
    Weichen standing on her feet
    Genre: Dance & Physical Theatre
    Past Event
    More Information
  • Vikings vs Climate Change

    Through comedy, song and spectacle two Vikings battle the greatest issue of our time: Climate Change.

    Presented by The Butterfly Club
    Dates 02 - 08 Oct (55min)
    Venue The Butterfly Club - Downstairs
    more less
    A brunette woman and a red bearded man wear viking costumes. The holds a sign taped to a prop sword that reads
    Genre: Comedy
    Past Event
    More Information
  • Dorian

    A striking and stylised imagining of Oscar Wilde’s gothic masterpiece.

    Curated by C ARTS | international independent arts programme
    Dates 8 Oct - 22 Oct (60min)
    Venue Digital Fringe
    more less
    Dorian Grey's face looks out from a dark night-time background. He is illuminated by warm light from one side only.
    Genre: Theatre
    Past Event
    More Information
  • i know the end.

    Enter a world that comes to life when the lights go out in this new interactive dance work.

    Created by Alix Kuijpers
    Dates 11 - 15 Oct (60min)
    Venue Festival Hub: Trades Hall - The Square
    more less
    A black and white image of a ghost made of bedsheets with a pillow for a head stands with arms drooping. It is surrounded by many little hand drawn green stars.
    Genre: Dance & Physical Theatre
    Past Event
    More Information

    • Find similar shows

    See All Guides
  • Just Announced
  • Political Shows
  • Queer AF
  • Dance Shows
  • Sex, love and dating
  • Travel & Migration
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Pass Holder - Free Entry
  • Blak Tixs