The Compositions Commission
Image by Ben Cobham.
COMMISSIONING NEW SOUND & MOVEMENT
Dancehouse’s commission for the creation of new sound and movement collaborations and works.
The Compositions Commission has been created to inspire collaborations between music/sound artists and choreographers to create new kinds of sonic/choreographic works.
The Compositions Commission is offered annually and provides an equal commission to both a music/sound artist, and a choreographer, alongside an additional project budget to spend on their work. The project budget may support collaborators (performers, dancers, musicians, equipment or design), production and technical equipment, or travel support.
EOIs for the 2027 Composition Commission will be announced in the second half of 2026.
Dancehouse’s Compositions Commission for 2026 is BETWEEN//WRLDS by Byrin “XIII” Mita and Oliva “Spewer” Luki
The Compositions Commission has been established to inspire collaborations between music/sound artists and choreographers to create new kinds of sonic/choreographic works.
BETWEEN//WRLDS is a collaborative research project between Street Dancer/ KRUMP Leader Byrin “XIII” Mita and Music Producer, Rapper Oliva “Spewer” Luki to develop a shared language and practice celebrating Krump’s sound, rhythm, texture, tone, emotion and storytelling.
The 2026 Composition Commission was chosen through a highly-competitive process by an independent panel of sound and choreographic artists: Tara Jade Samaya, Kelly Ryall, Kate Neal and Julie Minaai.
Spewer (Oliva Luki) is an MC, producer, engineer and sound architect from Tāmaki Makaurau (South Auckland). He founded From Outside (FOS), a crew built from the ground up to represent voices and stories from the edges of the city. Leading both the sound and the movement, he manages releases, creative direction, studio work and the day to day grind that keeps FOS pushing forward.His music is raw and lived in, no fake narratives, no shortcuts. Every beat, mix and bar reflects intention and a drive to see his people shine.
FOS moves with purpose because Spewer sets the vision, the ethic and the standard.
Beyond Hip Hop, he works in experimental sound design with CONJAH, serving as Sound Design Director for DARK!DARK!DARK! He also co directs and designs sound for TADRA, exploring Pacific futurism through dance and technology.
Across all work, community, live performance or underground Hip Hop, Spewer’s mission stays the same: create from the outside, speak truth and shift culture without conforming to the industry game.
XIII.
Enemy of Luck.
Enemy of Mediocrity.
A chosen consequence.A Māori artist and leader within the Aotearoa KRUMP and street dance community. Multi–world KRUMP champion and director of XIII WRLD, a high-performance street dance team and faculty.
Enemy of Mediocrity.
A chosen consequence.A Māori artist and leader within the Aotearoa KRUMP and street dance community. Multi–world KRUMP champion and director of XIII WRLD, a high-performance street dance team and faculty.
Over twelve years’ experience in street dance, teaching, choreography, performance, and battle, with a practice grounded in lineage, innovation, and cultural dialogue.
Through movement and myth, my work seeks to guide artists and explore dance as a tool for creativity, cultural connection, and personal transformation, emphasising the evolving relationship between body, culture, and community.
Driven by curiosity and a passion for innovation, I love experimenting with new concepts and perspectives. Yet through every venture, one thing remains consistent: a dedication to crafting high-quality experiences that can be enjoyed by everyone involved.
Dancehouse’s inaugural Compositions Commission for 2025 is Fade by Michelle Heaven, Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey.
The Compositions Commission has been established to inspire collaborations between music/sound artists and choreographers to create new kinds of sonic/choreographic works. Fade was commissioned through a highly-competitive process by an independent panel of sound and choreographic artists: Alisdair Macindoe, Biddy Connor, Kelly Ryall and Julie Minaai.
Fade
Fade is an investigation into the impermanence of things, and the silence that ensues. The processes of becoming more or less bright, more or less loud — the flicker; over exposure to sunlight; loss of signal strength. The space between two emphatic points such as the beginning and end; a transit through the middle. Spectres, ghosts, and the elongated suspension of fading in and out of the audible range opens the possibility of illusions via both body and sound.
Heaven, Flynn and Humphrey will experiment with affecting and redirecting sound-waves, signals, and obstacles that may shadow, affect, and stifle the transmission of sound and motion. Playing with directionality and real and imagined acoustics and their implications for physical motivation.
This is a first stage creative development for this new work and also a first-time collaboration for these artists, each known for their artistic integrity, high-quality productions, and investigations in new forms of practice.