More of a cultural phenomenon than a straightforward dance theatre company, Chickenshed prides itself on having produced some really significant work over the last 30 years, especially in the area of cultural integration and in using art to make a difference to people’s lives. Friends with the royalty and Oscar-winning actors as well as dancers with Down’s syndrome or cerebral palsy, this company’s reach-out track record is simply impressive.

If this is your first encounter with Chickenshed, it’s a good place to start. Dealing with the real life event of the accidental death of the 19-year-old mixed race boy Mischa Niering during a flight from a crime scene, the piece is a transporting combination of live music, storytelling and dance.

Artistically, great value is placed on stillness as well as movement, breadth as well as depth, spoken text as well as song - Natsai Gurupira’s live blues effortlessly meeting Christine Niering’s recorded monologue. But ultimately, the main concern of this piece is the value of human life itself, as well as motherly love and healing through shared grief.