Hopes of tour for Private View's dance of desire

A performer during the production of Private View which explores secret desires. (HANDOUT/ADELAIDE FRINGE FESTIVAL)

"Are you familiar with the sexy internet?" asks a performer during Private View by Restless Dance Theatre.

One audience member gamely answers in the negative, only to be told they are lying, because a clear conscience is a clear browser history.

Private View has just wrapped a sold-out run at the Adelaide Festival where they had to add extra chairs to fit the audience in the theatre.

And there are hopes its very particular brand of hilarity, heart, and discomfort will tour to other capital cities.

The company works with dancers with and without disabilities, and its latest dance piece explores the taboo subjects of love and sex.

It's new territory for Restless, and material that some in the audience will find uncomfortable, artistic director Michelle Ryan said.

But she's proud of how the show has evolved, and said the company's dancers are in peak form.

"I'm glad people are finally acknowledging that these these people are artists," Ms Ryan said.

"Hopefully people don't see the disability and just actually see the craft of what they're doing."

Private View is staged on four elevated platforms surrounding the audience, which are lit one by one to delve into different realms of desire.

The show begins with the disembodied eyes and lips of composer and singer Carla Lippis projected onto a curtain.

Then the chanteuse herself appears, clad in velvet, to participate in a dancer's perfect date in a French restaurant.

The audience is then able to peep inside a bedroom of sorts, walled with venetian blinds, through which performers can peek, poke and beckon.

It's a show full of glorious visual metaphors - who knew the act of removing socks could be so hilariously suggestive?

Lippis also wanders through the audience with a vintage phone, a hotline for questions about love, intimacy and sex - and the temperature rises as performers ask the audience some increasingly uncomfortable questions.

What does intimacy really mean? Heartbreakingly, one audience member admits she hasn't often heard the phrase "I love you" or, at least, not enough.

Outside the theatre there are more phones: Pick up the receiver to hear people with disabilities talk about physical intimacy - sometimes it's desired, and sometimes it's an unwanted but necessary part of living with a disability.

Private View was developed in the studio, using workshops and interviews with people with disabilities as source material, and Restless also engaged an intimacy coach.

It's been a busy time for the Adelaide-based company, which performed at the Sydney Opera House and in Melbourne in 2023, along with a tour to Korea.

Ms Ryan believes Private View will lead audiences to question their perceptions about disability, but fundamentally the show is based on universal themes.

"We all experience love, desire, heartbreak, all those things," she said.

"You charm people first, you have fun with them next, then you hit them in the heart."

AAP travelled with the assistance of the Adelaide Festival.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store