[ gameboy ]
by Amy Zhang
— Who’s in control?
Two avatars are dropped into a series of escalating challenges. As they complete each level, they’re asked to consider how far they’ll go to ‘win’.
Choreographer Amy Zhang brings her signature of fusion of street styles and contemporary to explore the collision between the real and the virtual in a work that is as irreverently fun as it is physically virtuosic.
Taking inspiration from Japanese game shows, The Sims, and the strangest corners of the internet, [ gameboy ] is a raucously renegade work that steps inside the screen and slyly looks back.
If life is a game, who’s holding the controllers?
Director & Choreographer Amy Zhang
Collaborators & Performers William ‘Billy’ Keohavong and Ko Yamada
Sound Designer Jackson Gracia
Contributing Composer Maxwell ‘Thv Flood’ Douglas
Lighting Design Theodore Carrol
This project is developed with the support of Critical Path, Metro Arts and Mad Dance House.
ORBIT is a new touring program designed to take independent dance to the next level. Led by Australian Dance Theatre (SA), Dancehouse (VIC) and Sydney Dance Company (NSW), ORBIT will see exceptional independent choreographic works slingshot to multiple cities on a fully supported tour.
ORBIT’s 2026 program will feature Agitato byJo Lloyd, Charcoal by Keia McGrady, [ gameboy ] by Amy Zhang and Future History by Gabrielle Nankivell.
Running the gamut from a poignant mediation on country, an exploration of ingenuity in the face of ecological collapse, a choreographic reckoning with a virtuosic piece of classical music from 1823 and a video game inspired work about our digital lives, ORBIT offers audiences the chance to experience works from artists at the vanguard of contemporary Australian performance.
Amy Zhang is a trailblazing choreographer and movement director based on Gadigal Land (Sydney). Her work spans across film, tv, theatre and live performance. Grounded in Chinese ways of knowing and storytelling, Amy’s style plays within the intersections of street style foundations and contemporary frameworks. Amy’s work has caught the eye of many, choreographing for global brands such as Hermes, Cartier, Nike, Calvin Klein as well the likes of Rita Ora, The Veronicas and PNAU PNAU. Her work has been featured at Australian Fashion Week, on Channel 10, ABC, SBS and Nowness. She has also collaborated with Google to curate an AI dance app that was presented at Google I/O annual developer conference in Los Angeles. In the arts space, Amy has worked with organisations across theatre and major galleries including, Hong Kong Museum of Art (M+), Art Gallery of NSW, The Hayes Theatre, Arts House, QPAC, The Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Adelaide Fringe Festival and Belvoir St Theatre. Amy was also an artist in residence at the City of Sydney Live/Work residency in 2019-2020.
Jackson Garcia is a movement and music artist based on Gadigal land. Jack is a well recognised street dancer who has competed and performed all around the world. Having grown up playing the drums, Jack combines this with his understanding of street dance and their cultures to inform his music. His unique take on sound has found. Jack creating sound for many movement performances in both the digital and live space. Performances that he has created sound for have been shown in places like, Performance Space, First Draft, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and Metro Arts.
Maxwell “ThvFlood” Douglas is a multidisciplinary artist and originator of Flood, a local Australian music and dance culture. Flood emerged as a response to the flood plains of Ipswich, Australia, with its music characterised by grotesque sounds and a distinct kickline: the “flood heartbeat.”
Theo Carroll is a lighting designer whose practice centres on atmosphere, spatial tension, and the relationship between light, bodies, and audience. Working across theatre, live performance and film, his approach is rooted in collaboration and devised process. As a trans man, he is particularly passionate about trans-led storytelling and process – both artistically and in how work gets made. Alongside his design practice, Theo is co-founder of Red Zebra Productions, an independent company creating immersive, multidisciplinary performance. Driven by curiosity and collaboration, his lighting is designed to be felt as much as it is seen.
Ko Yamada is a freelance dancer, choreographer, event organiser, DJ and movement artist based on Gadigal Land. His work spans across film, tv, theatre, live performance and digital media. Trained in over 10 different styles of dance ranging from classical ballet to underground street dance styles, Ko draws inspiration from them all to create a unique movement approach and creative lifestyle. Ko’s versatility and training experience in performance has taken him across the globe performing for artists such as Snoop Dogg, Taboo, Kylie Minogue, Jessica Mauboy and Vanessa Amorosi as well as dancing in digital media for companies such as Sony, Red Bull, Converse, Asics and many more. He was also a featured dancer in Disney’s film franchise “Zombies 4 Dawn of the Vampires” and has performed at major sporting events such as the T20 Cricket World Cup, The AFL and The State of Origin. In the theatre space, Ko has performed shows with The Australian Ballet, Strut & Fret Productions, seasons of contemporary works at InDance Festival, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Dance 24’ Festival and Oz Asia Film Festival. Outside of the performance space, Ko has also represented his skills in street dance contests, with major achievements such as representing Australia at the KOD Street Dance World Cup 2017, 2018 & 2025 (China & Korea) and Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals in 2019 & 2022 (France & South Africa). Ko is also the co-director of Enter the Quest, a street dance performance and contest event founded in Eora (Sydney), now branching out worldwide.
William “Billy” Keohavong is an Australian-born dancer whose career has taken him across the globe – a scholarship recipient of both the New Zealand School of Dance and Ev & Bow Full-Time Training Centre. His journey into dance began in Street Dance, specifically Dancehall and House, before he was offered a full-time Artist position with The Human Expression (THE) Dance Company in Singapore. His talent and eye for movement saw him rise to Principal Artist and then Rehearsal Master, during his time with THE. This opportunity took him across Asia and Europe, performing and touring extensively at festivals including Florence Dance Festival (Italy), Zawirowania Dance Festival (Poland), Laiks Dejot Festival (Latvia), Fukuoka Fringe Dance Festival (Japan), Daegu Dance Festival (South Korea), Bangkok International Dance Festival (Thailand) and M1 Contact Dance Festival (Singapore), among others. Along the way, he’s collaborated with some of the industry’s most acclaimed choreographers: Sue Healy, Ross McCormack, Meryl Tankard, Martin del Amo, Tor Colombus, Kuik Swee Boon, Sarah Boulter, Kim Jaedok and Natalie Allen.
