​ Williamstown Beach Foreshore /​ Zoë Bastin/​ The Break/

The Break by Zoë Bastin – A site-specific dance for the beach – where choreography and coastline merge

PRESENTED BY ZOË BASTIN DANCE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SUBSTATION, WITH SUPPORT FROM HOBSONS BAY CITY COUNCIL AND MELBOURNE FRINGE

The Break is a site-specific dance performance that brings the raw power of the ocean into the body – where land meets water. Set on the sands of Williamstown Beach, four dancers move with the repetitive and hypnotic rhythm of waves, shaped by unseen tidal forces.

Inspired by ocean waves and choreographed by Zoë Bastin, The Break explores pressure, tension, and release – inviting audiences into an environment where themes of consent, social rupture, and collective embodiment unfold in real-time. As the sun sets, audiences sit on chairs placed directly on the sand, immersed in a landscape of music and the natural sounds of the ocean.

Pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance in public space, The Break is an invitation to gather at the edge between stillness and movement, sound and silence, release and return.

Set against the backdrop of the Williamstown foreshore, The Break draws from Bastin’s long-term choreographic research project Waves Are Disturbances, translating the ocean’s histories into movement. The work asks: what does it mean to be shaped by place, and how do bodies carry the weight of collective memory?

“I grew up swimming at Williamstown Beach,” says Bastin. “This project has been developed at beaches up and down the East Coast. As an inner-city westie, it feels really special to be back on Bunurong Country where I grew up, working with the local community of Hobsons Bay.”

Developed in collaboration with local artists and community, The Break offers a visceral encounter with the more-than-human world. Audiences are invited to experience choreography not only as a performance, but as a form of embodied environmental knowledge.

“Exhilarating, thought-provoking, genre-defining performance”

“A remarkably dexterous and finely honed artwork that masterfully navigates the beach environment. It deserves national and international acclaim” – David Cross, Deakin University

ARTISTIC TEAM/

• Zoë Bastin  – Lead Artist and Choreographer
• Alex Dobson, Roxanne Monfort, Kady Mansour and Summer Penney – Dancers
• Grace Ferguson – Composer and Sound Designer
• Anna Nalpantidis – Consulting Producer
• Ronja Sandles - Associate Producer
• Local Performers

DATE AND TIME/

Opening Night Performance including smoking ceremony, Wednesday 8 October, 6.00 pm. Performance begins at 6.30 pm.

Performance, Thursday 9 October, 6.30 pm

Performance, Friday 10 October, 6.30 pm

Ocean Forum Saturday 11 October, 4.00 pm. Free – book here.

Performance, Saturday 11 October, 6.30 pm

Performance duration: 50 minutes

Please note: This is an outdoor performance. Dress warmly and bring a blanket if desired. Seating will be provided on the beach.

OCEAN FORUM

Saturday 11 October, 4 pm – 5.30 pm. Free – book here.

What does the ocean mean to us? A conversation on coastal connection and community.

Ocean Forum: Shared Waters, Collective Futures is a free public event that brings together artists, local knowledge holders and community voices to reflect on the ocean as a site of connection, care and cultural significance.

Held at Williamstown Life Saving Club—just metres from the water—this panel discussion explores how the sea binds us: across generations, across disciplines, and across shifting coastlines. Waves are not only physical forces, but also powerful metaphors for collective agency—rising, gathering, and breaking open the possibility for social and political transformation.

Hosted by choreographer and researcher Zoë Bastin as part of The Break, a new site-specific performance on the beach, the forum opens space to reflect on how our relationship with water speaks to deeper questions of consent, control, resilience and relationality.

This is a conversation grounded in place, centring voices from those who live and work near the ocean, especially across the western suburbs of Narrm/Melbourne. Whether you’re an artist, activist, swimmer or neighbour, you’re invited to join us—come to listen, to ask, and to imagine how we might rise together.

LOCATION

The Break will take place at Williamstown Beach Foreshore next to the Williamstown Life Saving Club. Accessible by bus, train, and with parking close by.

WARNINGS

This is an outdoor performance. Dress warmly and bring a blanket if desired. Seating will be provided on the beach.

SUPPORT

The Break is generously supported by Hobsons Bay City Council and The Melbourne Fringe Fund.