Melbourne International Arts Festival

One of the seminal artists of our time, Laurie Anderson has consistently intrigued, entertained and challenged audiences with her multimedia presentations. Her latest work Homeland is somewhere between epic poem and music concert and promises to be a highlight of this year's Festival program.

French choreographer Jérôme Bel returns to the Festival with his company's first Australian appearance in The show must go on.

As part of the Merce Cunningham Residency, Melbourne International Arts Festival presents two distinct programs of Cunningham repertoire. Program A features three very different works spanning more than 50 years

Jon Rose brings over 25 years experience pioneering the use of digital technology in live music performance to the Ball Project and this Festival outcome Sphere of Influence.

One of Spain's leading theatre companies, Teatre Lliure, makes its Australian debut with European House, an emotional and amusing reflection in real time on family, communication, contemporary society, life and death.

Amsterdam-based theatre company Dood Paard makes its Australian debut with the intriguing production medEia, a radical reworking of the original Medea story. Drawing on various sources from Euripides to Heiner M¨ller to pop songs, this contemporary version of medEia explores all the great themes of the Medea myth: love, adultery, jealousy, exile, and the position of women in a male-dominated society.

In the second of its Festival productions, Dutch company Dood Paard brings us its version of William Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus

Canada's Necessary Angel Theatre Company makes its Australian debut with John Mighton's award-winning play Half Life. Poignant, masterfully understated and surprisingly funny, Half Life is a finely observed and heartfelt look at aging, love, memory and what makes us human.

Sizwe Banzi is Dead is the second of three Statement Plays created by South African writer Athol Fugard with actors John Kani and Winston Ntshona. These plays are based on the everyday life of the urban black community in South Africa during Apartheid. Directed by the legendary Peter Brook, this Festival production of Sizwe Banzi is Dead is dynamic, engaging and very funny.

Director, writer, choreographer, designer and performer Shaun Parker brings to the Festival the world premiere of This Show Is About People.

Barrie Kosky brings to the Malthouse Workshop his production of The Tell-Tale Heart. Together with Austrian actor and singer Martin Niedermair, Kosky has created a thrilling voyage into the morbid and fascinating world of the American author Edgar Allan Poe.

Following sell-out success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2006 and an extensive UK tour, Daniel Kitson makes his Melbourne International Arts Festival debut with the award-winning c-90, a touching tale of quirky individuals, small kindnesses and the hope of human connection

Fresh from her appearance at David Bowie's High Line Festival in New York, international singing sensation and sequinned sex bomb waiting to detonate, Meow Meow, returns to Melbourne with the show that had Spiegeltent audiences crying out for more in 2005.

Acknowledged as one of Australia's finest didgeridoo players, Mark Atkins is also recognised internationally for his collaborative projects with some of the world's leading composers and musicians. Now, for the first time in a career spanning 30 years, Atkins performs a solo concert, Grungada: A Journey of Music and Song.

Melbourne families, it's time to pull on your dancing shoes, dust off those homemade instruments and get ready to rock with Dan Zanes and Friends.

The hugely innovative Korean ensemble Gong Myoung take traditional instruments, and some of their innovations, to create a new sound in Korean music.

The Artist Lounge is a Festival venue like no other, and this year Melbourne International Arts Festival welcomes ticket holders to experience some of its backstage vibe.

Following a smash hit season on Broadway, New York's legendary cabaret terrorists Kiki & Herb make their Melbourne debut with the world premiere of their brand new show - The Year of Magical Drinking Tour.

To coincide with La Mama's 40th anniversary celebrations, La Mama Poetica presents Voiceprints, a program of immersive performances by poets and sound poets who have made their mark by striking out alone against prevailing trends.

Inspired by French author Gustave Flaubert's 19th century novel, The Temptation of Saint Anthony is a new and original musical based deeply in the history of African-American music and culture

Sankai Juku makes its Melbourne debut with the visually stunning Kagemi: Beyond the Metaphors of Mirrors. Exquisite movement is accompanied by the musical synthesis of Western and Eastern instruments into otherworldly sounds in this work of breathtaking beauty.

Lou Bennett, Alics Gate-Eastley and Phil Collings are The Sweet Cheeks and they're making their Festival debut at The Famous Spiegeltent. Combining sweet harmonies, acoustic guitar, bass and drums with powerful lyrics that speak of compassion, truth, love and heart ache, a session with Lou Bennett and The Sweet Cheeks is something you won't easily forget.

Local musicians Ria Soemardjo, Helen Mountfort and Sam Evans blend the subtle timbres and textures of cello, voice, viola and tablas in One, Two, Three, a concert featuring structured improvisations and original compositions.

Hunger is a collaboration between musicians from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and rawcus, an ensemble of performers with and without disabilities. In Hunger movement, music and theatre collide to create a unique performance piece exploring notions of desire, longing and love.

Festival audiences are invited to a very special event in the lead up to the world premiere of multimedia artist and performer Laurie Anderson's Homeland. Join Festival Artistic Director Kristy Edmunds as she hosts an intimate discussion with Laurie Anderson.

Join incredibly talented artists from the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) for their Festival debut. Directed by Italy's own Valeria Campo, DiVino combines circus, music, theatre and dance in magical show for the whole family.

Award-winning photographer-storyteller William Yang returns to a motherland he never knew for his latest show China.

The award-winning fusion of digital technology and human movement, Glow, returns to Melbourne as part of this year's Festival. Chunky Move Artistic Director Gideon Obarzanek and German interactive software engineer Frieder Wei have together created an intimate interactive solo performance in which the motion of the human body is used to trigger and control music, lighting and animation.

Celebrate the Opening of the 2007 Melbourne International Arts Festival with a sing-along like no other, led by Dan Zanes and Friends.

On Saturday 21 October Federation Square becomes the venue for a new site specific Merce Cunningham Dance Company work. Everyone is invited to come along and be part of this once in a lifetime free dance event created especially for Melbourne.

Following the Australian Premiere of Sizwe Banzi is Dead in Melbourne, Peter Brook's dynamic and engaging production travels to regional Victoria.

Get set for a musical night to remember as Mexico's electro-pop quintet KINKY make their Australian debut. If you like to get up on the dance floor this is one Festival event you won't want to miss.

Jasper Johns is known as one of the founding fathers of Pop, Minimalism and Conceptual art and for his canvases that depict bull's-eye targets, American flags, numerals, and letters and symbols.

One of the seminal figures of modern art, visual artist Robert Rauschenberg was resident designer for Merce Cunningham Dance Company for ten years.

In collaboration with Laura Kuhn, Executive Director of the John Cage Trust at Bard College, Melbourne International Arts Festival presents quotes from John Cage running daily on the LED Ticker Panels at Federation Square. Cage fans and aficionados can sample a plethora of his tremendous insights and prolifi c concepts. This is a random encounter that you won't want to miss.

Ernesto Neto is considered one of the leaders of Brazil's contemporary art scene.

Riceeboy Sleeps gathers drawings, paintings and photographs together,creating lyrical images that are installed in old and reclaimed window frames at Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces. The works are peopled with dreamlike figures and accompanied by a soundtrack that shares the haunting atmosphere of these somnambulant characters.

Jennifer Bartholomew is a Melbourne-based artist working in a variety of visual arts and craft media including ceramics, textiles and installation.

Best in Show explores the idylls and daydreams of small town life and its rituals. Specifically, five New Zealand-based ceramicists look at Australia and their own hometowns as lost worlds of quaint traditions.

Melbourne International Arts Festival is pleased to present two collections of photographic works by 17 world renowned artists. The collections were originally created and contributed to by each artist to support and commemorate the long standing commitment of Merce Cunningham and his work with the visual artists of his time.

In a special Festival project, Merce Cunningham will be working with a master printmaker through the Australian Print Workshop, to create a limited edition print loosely based upon his Billboard work.

a special Festival project, Merce Cunningham will be working with a master printmaker through the Australian Print Workshop to create a limited edition print loosely based upon his Billboard work. The print edition marks an important permanent work that will stay within Australia after the Cunningham Residency.

Laurie Anderson's Hidden Inside Mountains is a film of short stories about nature, artifice and dreams.

Have you ever wondered what imagery is created by composers and choreographers when making a new work?

Holly Crawford is a cross media artist, poet and contemporary art historian, whose interest focuses on the discussion, enquiry and documentation of art.

The Melbourne Mandolin Orchestra has played concert halls and music festivals around the world, but for this year's Festival they're bringing their unique plucked sounds to The Famous Spiegeltent with an exciting program of solo and group works, from the baroque to the contemporary.

Be prepared to be shaken, stirred and tea-totalled! Aurally and visually, the Teapot Ensemble of Australia draws you into a unique musical world as, together with some surprise special guests, they unleash the haunting sounds of the humble teapot.

Toshi Reagon is an artist who's known for energetic performances and a exemplary gift for writing engaging songs that provoke listeners to think and have fun at the same time. For this year's Festival she brings her band BIGLovely to The Famous Spiegeltent.

Since his recent collaboration with Merce Cunningham, Daniel Arsham has been thinking a great deal about accidents.In this, Arsham's first exhibition in Australia, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces is transformed with bespoke works that deal with the idea of a unique event multiplied.

As a part of the Festival's Merce Cunningham Residency, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image presents Collaborations. This program of screenings and forums pays tribute to Merce Cunningham, one of the leading figures of the postmodern art movement. Dipping into the Merce Cunningham 'Living Archive,' the Collaborations film program will explore some of Cunningham's significant collaborations, most notably his long time working relationship with John Cage. Merce Cunningham also pioneered work in video and film, collaborating with artists including Charles Atlas, Elliot Caplan and Nam June Paik. Their works will be joined by others from the postmodern film movement.

Inspired by the stunning Papuan choral tradition of Perovetta Anedia (Prophet Songs), exciting sensational young jazz talent Aaron Choulai undertakes an extraordinary cross-cultural musical journey

Born in El Salvador, Ileana Posas is a dynamic solo artist and singer/songwriter whose compositions brim with passion, fun and energy. Her aim is to bring the fire, beauty and joy of an authentic original Latin sound to Festival audiences.

Sally Ford and the Pachuco Playboys have established a reputation as one of the most exciting (and danceable) Latin acts in the country. For the Festival they team up with some very special guests for a memorable night of cha cha cha, son, boogaloo and bolero.

Spontaneous, orchestrated, brilliant, yet unpredictable - True Live are everything their name indicates and more

David Broza is an icon of Israeli music and a formidable musical force. For the Festival, David Broza performs for one night only with special guest, Brazilian guitarist Badi Assad.

Brazilian Badi Assad is a guitarist of great technical mastery and an artist with an unquenchable thirst for innovation. Her solo performance at the Festival is set to be an exciting musical event.

Acclaimed United States-based pianist Pnina Becher performs two classical recitals to remember at the BMW Edge. This compelling performer will delight audiences with a program featuring well-loved music for the piano by Scarlatti, Chopin and Debussy.

The Dead Horse Band draws together some of Melbourne's finest jazz and classical players to perform original compositions of renowned Australian composer, Kate Neal. The result is powerful and engaging music.

In two altogether different concert appearances The Music Committee of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (MCDC) offers audiences an intimate evening of new music.

The name Grigoryan is synonymous with exquisite guitar playing and musical talent certainly runs in this family. Don't miss this Festival stop on the Slava and Leonard Grigoryan tour throughout Australia, Asia and the Baltic States.

Oribotics [network] is a unique art and technology installation in the Atrium at Federation Square, drawing on cutting edge research in biology, computing, and scientific origami.

John Cage's Musicircus is a large-scale simultaneous performance event involving musicians, dancers, visual artists, poets and a pony. Audiences are invited to move around the BMW Edge anytime from dusk to dawn to explore works by local and international artists all being performed together at the one time.

There is just no way to let it all end the 2007 Melbourne International Arts Festival quietly so we're throwing a rollicking send-off! Kick back and share your favourite Festival moments with performers, staff and other Festival goers at the huge Closing Night Party.

Join Andre Camilleri & the Broken Hearts for a musical journey to the heart of country music.

Join Brazilian guitarist Badi Assad as she helps us take the Festival Around Victoria. These performances in Sale, Frankston and Shepparton are set to be exciting musical events.

Featuring the combined sounds of accordion, trombone, clarinet, double bass, violin, voice and drums, Croque Monsieur have a fiery energy of boisterous yelps, unadulterated dexterity, improvisation, and an unorthodox madness that is fascinating to watch and irresistibly danceable.

Following on from her Australian debut at the BMW Edge acclaimed pianist Pnina Becher comes to Shepparton for one night only. This compelling performer will delight audiences with a program featuring pieces by Scarlatti, Chopin and Debussy.

Following Laurie Anderson's discussion with Festival Artistic Director Kristy Edmunds on Tuesday 16 October is a free screening of O Superman.

As part of the Merce Cunningham Residency, Merce Cunningham himself will join these dance experts Lee Christofis and David Vaughan on stage for a discussion of his life and work, his influences and legacies.

Last year composer, performer, violinist, and band leader Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) blew Festival audiences away in a concert with DJ Scientific. Now he returns to Melbourne with his debut solo album etudes4violin&electronix and three very special performances in The Famous Spiegeltent.

Enjoy some one-on-one time with the internationally crowned queen of post-apocalyptic cabaret chic Meow Meow as she kick starts the global research campaign for her new show Vamp.