The future of human evolution is on display as man and machine meld into a cohesive whole.

In a world where art is often dismissed as derivative, Melbourne-based dance company Chunky Move continues to prove that originality is alive and well. Their latest work, U>N>I>T>E>D, conceived and choreographed by Artistic Director Antony Hamilton, pushes audiences into new imaginative territory, conjuring visions of what humanity might become.

Presented as part of Esplanade’s da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN) programme, the work greets audiences with a strikingly technological setup. A beam structure hangs low above the stage, fitted with robotic contraptions that resemble shed insect limbs. The air is charged with expectation, in a half sci-fi film set, half futuristic ritual ground.

As the show begins, the industrial, noise-driven soundtrack by Balinese experimental duo Gabber Modus Operandi thrusts us into a metallic present. Six dancers (Melissa Pham, David Prakash, Samakshi Sidhu, Robert Alejandro Tinning, Jayden Wall, and Madeleine Bowman) enter in vibrant, effortlessly “cool” streetwear by Bali’s Future Loundry, their attire already suggesting a cyberpunk city of tomorrow. When the dancers don animatronic exoskeletons, designed in collaboration with Creature Technology Co., the visual transformation becomes complete.

The lighting design by Benjamin Cisterne floods the space with strobing flashes, deliberately overwhelming. It feels as though we are watching a species hatch in real time: dancers testing new limbs, flexing mechanical arms, and navigating their tethered environment. There is no linear narrative, but the piece thrives on this ambiguity. The audience, close yet never addressed, becomes complicit observers in a living experiment, fascinated by every tentative gesture.

As the performance unfolds, the work suggests shifting relationships. These are sometimes collective, as the dancers merge into a single insectoid organism; sometimes adversarial, as they circle one another with wary curiosity. Props such as a zigzag beam ladder allow them to scale the beam, expanding the sense of territory. Abstract though these tableaux are, they tap into primal ideas of survival, community, and hierarchy.

The strongest emotional resonance arrives in the closing moments. A rainbow spectrum of light softens the stage, and the pounding industrial score gives way to something gentler. A duet emerges between a dancer unadorned and another still bound to her robotic appendages. Their hesitant embrace is charged: are they star-crossed lovers, or pioneers daring to bridge the gap between species? The stage fades before we can decide, leaving us with the question.

U>N>I>T>E>D is not without its indulgences— the sheer density of sensory overload and abstraction can at times risk eclipsing the subtler layers beneath. But Hamilton’s vision is bold and compelling, and his ensemble fully commits to the creation of a world both alien and recognisable. Ultimately, Chunky Move reminds us that even in futures dominated by machines, our deepest drive remains the same: to connect, to coexist, and to create beauty out of shared energy. An imaginative work born of collaboration, about the value of unity in our shared humanity.

Photo Credit: Jootz

U>N>I>T>E>D played from 26th to 28th September 2025 at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre. More information available here

da:ns focus – Connect Asia Now (CAN) took place from 25th to 28th September 2025 at the Esplanade. Full programme available here

Production Credits

Artistic Direction & Choreography Antony Hamilton Sound Design & Composition Gabber Modus Operandi Costume Design Future Loundry Exoskeleton Design & Fabrication Creature Technology Co. Lighting Design Benjamin Cisterne Performers & Choreography Melissa Pham, David Prakash, Samakshi Sidhu, Robert Alejandro Tinning, Jayden Wall, Madeleine Bowman Stage/Set Design/Fabrication and Art Finishing Ashley Buchanan and Antony Hamilton Set and Costume LED Fabrication Shiv Geaney  Outside Eye Melanie Lane Production Manager Ashley Buchanan System Engineer and Head Electrician Shiv Geaney Lighting Operator Nicholas Moloney Sound Engineer Ethan Hunter Executive Director/co-CEO Kristy Ayre Senior Producer Kristina Arnott