T̶h̶e̶ ̶B̶a̶s̶t̶a̶r̶d̶ Dance.
by Gabriella Imrichova
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T̶h̶e̶ ̶B̶a̶s̶t̶a̶r̶d̶ Dance. (2025), by Gabriella Imrichova. Photo by Nelson M Clifton.
— A delusional feedback loop.
Part-dance, part-rant The Bastard Dance. is an exploration of refusal, obsession, and the consuming nature of control.
Through the character of the bastard—entangled in guilt, narcissism, and a relentless adherence to their own rules—this performance dives into the paradox of perpetual rejection. Drenched in excess, eroticism, and paranoia, the piece is a manifestation of the tension between self-imposed isolation and the grotesque allure of indulgence.
The Bastard Dance. is an unsettling and unhinged ride through the limits of personal freedom, the painful beauty of never letting life in, and the parasitic pleasure found in embracing “No.”. A performance where rejection is not just an action but a way of being, and where the audience is invited to witness, question, and possibly be consumed by the bastard’s orbit of denial.
Concept, Choreography & Performance: Gabriella Imrichova
Dramaturg: Morgan Rose
Technical Consultant: Alex Mraz
Lighting Consultant: Jenny Hector
Dramaturg: Morgan Rose
Technical Consultant: Alex Mraz
Lighting Consultant: Jenny Hector
Proxy: Anika De Ruyter
Costume: Carys Norwood
Producer: Indiana Coole
Costume: Carys Norwood
Producer: Indiana Coole
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Gabriella Imrichova works with the medium of live performance across theatre, visual arts, and dance contexts. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre (2019), Gabriella participated in the Emerging Choreographers Program at Dancehouse in 2022/3. They have undertaken residencies at Bundanon, Testing Grounds, and most recently, the ATLAS scholarship program at ImPulsTanz. Gabriella’s work has recently been presented at Blindside Gallery, Performance Space (Sydney), Temperance Hall, and Gertrude Contemporary for ‘Contact High’.
Employing the archetypes of The Bastard and The Critical Troll, Imrichova seeks to challenge and complicate the viewer’s viewing of the live performance moment by attending to the unexpected, the awkward, the minute, and the rudimentary with superfluous specificity and dry ass humour.
