On a quiet spring afternoon in 2008, an earthquake measuring eight on the Richter scale devastated the Sichuan province of China, killing over 69,000 people. It was natural disaster on such a scale that defied imagination – but for millions of Chinese survivors, there was nothing for it but to pick up the pieces and carry on.

A world premiere Melbourne Festival commission, Fault Lines represents a unique collaboration between China’s renowned Leshan Song & Dance Troupe, who hail from Sichuan province, and Christchurch-born choreographer Sara Brodie. Together they have crafted an intimate, personal response to an overwhelming catastrophe – a much-needed antidote to the media’s simplistic depictions of carnage and heroism.

In a landscape irrevocably changed, both literally and figuratively, those who remain explore the new contours of home, revealing the sorrow, confusion and occasional humour found in a familiar space rendered unrecognisable. As the dancers roam the stage, discovering what’s left, they find ways of rebuilding, joining to reconstruct their shattered lives and communities.

A dance of rare technical prowess, Fault Lines is a sincere elegy to those lost, and a stirring tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.

Download the show program.