“In order for a dance to exist it requires an audience to witness it.” – Amrita Hepi
Bringing together movement and storytelling, internationally renowned Bundjalung and Ngāpuhi artist Amrita Hepi presents Rinse at the Sydney Opera House. A collaboration with acclaimed theatre maker Mish Grigor, this solo work combines dance with theatre to create a fascinating exploration of what it truly means to ‘begin again’.
The performance starts with Hepi walking backwards in a wide circle. The accompanying soundscape imbues the moment with the feeling of something being rewound, or a moment in reverse. Life is not linear. We are but a small part of a much bigger cycle that contains many beginnings.
Hepi guides us through these beginnings with anecdotes that combine stories of colonialism and historical facts with autobiographical stories, such as being taught an emu dance by storyteller and cultural educator Francis Firebrace.
We hear how American ‘ethnic dancer’ Beth Dean performed “Corroboree” as an ‘Aboriginal boy’ for Queen Elizabeth’s 1954 tour of Australia and how just 32 years ago in 1994 the Australian Ballet celebrated this work by bringing it back to the stage once more. There are moments of humour and levity, such as when Hepi cites her Dad commenting, “I’m not going to come to another one of your dance recitals where you roll around on the ground for 45 minutes.” This also displays a degree of self-awareness about the commentary that often follows contemporary dance practice.
Insights into the creation of the work itself are presented, “In the beginning while creating this work…..”, allowing the audience a peek behind the curtain into the creative process. There is a degree of vulnerability embraced here by Hepi in what she chooses to disclose, that is to be admired.
Near the end of the performance, Hepi says that in the beginning before the show started they put small explosive devices under the armrest of every chair. Pearls of laughter ripple through the room, turning slightly confused when it becomes apparent she is not joking. Reaching beneath the arm of the chair, I discover a party popper. The audience is instructed to prepare for detonation on her signal, and what follows is a comical symphony of blasts that adopt a suddenly serious tone when you realise the performer appears to be covered in blood. In terms of audience participation, this was a real roller-coaster of emotions.
Rinse comes across as a deeply personal work for Hepi and is a masterclass in physicality and movement. New beginnings don’t stay new for long. The end of something is often the beginning of something else. History repeats and we continue to spiral on the hamster wheel. It begs the question, how possible is a ‘fresh start’ when every new beginning is a process of rinse and repeat?
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Rinse will perform at the Sydney Opera House until 12 September 2026.
For more information and to purchase tickets head to the Sydney Opera House website.
Reviewer attended on 10 September 2026.
Photos: Joseph Mayers
