Futuristic dance and cosmic storytelling collide in Last and First Men at MRC

A vision of humanity’s distant future will unfold on stage this June, as UK-based company Neon Dance brings its genre-defying production Last and First Men to Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC) as part of the RISING festival.

Led by visionary artistic director Adrienne Hart, the production is a striking contemporary dance interpretation of Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson’s haunting film and score Last and First Men – his final work before his passing in 2018.

The production marks Ms Hart’s debut performance in Melbourne.

“This will be my first time in Melbourne,” she said.

“Melbourne Recital Centre is a beautiful space, and I can’t wait to see the work in the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall.”

Ms Hart was deeply moved after watching Mr Jóhannsson’s film adaptation of Olaf Stapledon’s 1930 novel, which imagines a future civilisation at the edge of extinction, reaching back across two billion years to speak to us.

She approached the late composer’s estate to propose a radical idea: reimagining Last and First Men through contemporary dance.

“Sci-fi bodies move in futuristic costumes designed to connect and extend their physical forms. Tilda Swinton’s narration delivered with icy precision depicts the last generation of humanity in the far future, whilst giant concrete structures in 16mm black and white film project behind,” Ms Hart told Southbank News.

“Johannson’s emotive final score, weightless and mournful, completed by Yair Elazar Glotman after his passing, provides an eerie yet beautiful soundtrack.”

Three dancers orbit one another like atoms, merging and separating in response to Ms Swinton’s commanding voice and the music’s sombre momentum.

It’s an immersive experience that plunges audiences into a dreamlike meditation on time, legacy and extinction.

For Ms Hart, one of the most rewarding elements has been the rehearsal process.

“My favourite part has been being in the studio with the dancers and seeing how the concepts and themes from Last and First Men can be translated onto and transform moving bodies. Also, the absolute privilege of having Johannson’s epic and beautiful score and images to work with,” she said.

“RISING has a fantastic international reputation, it’s such a privilege to be presented within a festival that seamlessly blends the best new art, music and performance in a context that is both accessible and welcoming.”

Last and First Men will be performed on June 7 and 8 at Melbourne Recital Centre. •