After various incarnations as a cinema, dance hall, roller rink, boxing, wrestling, vaudeville and sporting venue since 1911, The Rivoli in Parramatta, affectionately known as “the Riv”, was refurbished and re-opened after WWII to a crowd of 800 dancers and a 14-piece orchestra. It’s Friday night “Old Time Dances” put Western Sydney on the nation’s social radar with 2UE recording live every week and broadcasting across the country.
WORLD PREMIERE | SYDNEY FESTIVAL 2020
A celebration of social life before social media, when to meet was to talk, laugh and move to music together.
From the early 1930s to the late 1960s, the Rivoli Dance Palace on Church St, Parramatta was Western Sydney’s favourite dance hall. It was demolished in 1973 to make way for an office development. Now nothing remains of ‘The Riv’ except the stories of the people who danced there.
Dance Makers Collective brings those stories to life in a tribute to the rituals of social dance and the human drive toward belonging and togetherness.
Staged in the Heritage-listed Granville Town Hall, The Rivoli invites you and your favourite dance partner to be swept into an immersive exploration of mid-century nightlife, desire and social connection.
Director: Miranda Wheen
Composer: Matt Cornell
Designer: Anya McKee
Producer: Carl Sciberras
Lighting Designer: Benjamin Brockman
Audio Content: Allison Chan, Ninah Kopel & Tim Roxburgh
Choreography by Dance Makers Collective and guest performers
Dance Makers Collective: Matt Cornell, Anya McKee, Sophia Ndaba, Katina Olsen, Marnie Palomares, Melanie Palomares, Carl Sciberras, Miranda Wheen & Rosslyn Wythes
Performers: Richard Cilli, Matt Cornell, Emma Harrison, Katina Olsen, Marnie Palomares, Melanie Palomares, Carl Sciberras & Rosslyn Wythes
Featuring Future Makers, Dance Makers Collective’s Youth Dance Company: Sarah Goroch, Jessica Kuit, Beryl La, Bedelia Lowrencev, Cinzia Marrocco, Matina McAneney, Monica Moreno, Christopher Wade & Ella Watson-Heath
Photos Gavin Clarke, Anya McKee
