Chi Udaka
18 – 21 October 2023
Chi Udaka is a kaleidoscope of sound and vision with taiko drums, shakuhachi flute, cello, classical Indian vocals and dance. Inspired by the forces of nature, Chi (earth) and Udaka (water) merge in joyful celebration in this collaboration between two Australian companies Taikoz and Lingalayam.
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Date |
Availability |
Time |
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Wednesday 18 October |
Best Availability |
7.30pm |
|
Thursday 19 October |
Best Availability |
7.30pm |
|
Friday 20 October |
SOLD OUT |
7.30pm |
|
Saturday 21 October |
SOLD OUT |
7:30pm |
|
Ticket |
Price |
|---|---|
|
Standard |
$65 |
|
Multipack Buy 2 |
Price |
|
A Reserve |
$58.50 |
|
Multipack Buy 3+ |
Price |
|
A Reserve |
$55.25 |
|
Mob Tix Discounted tickets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and community groups. |
$25 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
Young people under the age of 15 must be accompanied at all times. Children aged 0 - 23 months at the time of a performance may be seated on a parent’s lap free of charge. All children occupying a seat or aged two years and older must hold a valid ticket.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
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8am, Tuesday 20 June
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What’s On e-newsletter on-sale
9am, Wednesday 21 June
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Monday 26 June
Wheelchair accessible
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Run time
The duration of this event is 85 minutes with no intervals.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Suitable for all ages.
Also on this page
Seating map
An energetic collaboration of Indian dance and percussion
The deep earthiness of taiko drumming (Chi - earth) and the flowing elegance of Indian classical dance (Udaka - water) fuse in this energetic live experience. At turns delicate and dramatic, it unites the taiko drums of Taikoz, the shakuhachi flute from Riley Lee, cello and classical Indian vocals with Lingalayam’s contrasting Bharatha Natyam and Kuchipudi dance styles.
This dynamic percussion and dance performance is a collaboration between two well-established Australian companies Taikoz and Lingalayam. The vocabulary of both companies is steeped in history and tradition and they come together in an eruption of colour, rhythm, dance and music.
As part of our 50th Birthday Festival, Chi Udaka is a collaborative and joyful celebration of art forms coming together.
Sydney Opera House presents a collaboration with Percussion Australia and Lingalayam
This program is proudly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW Blockbusters Funding initiative
Sydney Morning HeraldThe gunshot barrage of taiko drumming melds gloriously with the sinuously melodic action of classical Indian dance…
About the Companies
Percussion Australia –Taikoz
Ian Cleworth and Riley Lee formed Taikoz in 1997. Over the past 26 years Taikoz has developed an original repertoire of works that has seen them perform on the stages of Australia's finest concert halls and in prestigious venues worldwide, including in Japan, France, America, Taiwan and New Zealand. In 2016, Taikoz toured India with Lingalayam, receiving rave reviews for “Chi Udaka”.
From projects as varied as “Pericles” with Bell Shakespeare to Lachlan Skipworth’s “The Breath Of Thunder” with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Taikoz is no stranger to diverse, challenging collaborations. Not only have they worked with taiko greats Eitetsu Hayashi, Yoshikazu Fujimoto, Shogo Yoshii and Chieko Kojima, and ensembles as distinct as Ensemble Offspring and SICKO, but distinguished composers Gerard Brophy, Timothy Constable, Sandy Evans and Andrea Molino have all composed large-scale works for the ensemble, including concerto works with the Dresdner Sinfoniker, Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras.
Lingalayam
Lingalayam is an Australian arts organisation, whose focus is the nurturing and strengthening of the appreciation and knowledge of Indian culture, through artworks of traditional genesis, presented in the context of our contemporary society’s cultural tapestry. The Dance Company was established in 1996 as a permanent base for the graduates of the Academy (founded in 1986) whose aim was to become proficient and professional in this ancient art form.
Strongly emotive and visually compelling, Lingalayam’s creative body of work incorporates dance, live music, text and design, and is created and performed by artists of world-class standing. The Lingalayam repertoire draws from the ancient dance forms of Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi, and is directed by legendary guru–dancer, choreographer, teacher and musician- Anandavalli. As a central focus, the work of Anandavalli and the artists of Lingalayam, express the unique role of women and dance in ancient India. These feminine themes are explored through vibrant Indian mythology, to unveil both the universal and specific strengths of women. This is named and celebrated as Shakthi and is a vital basis for the content of many of Lingalayam’s creative works.
Over the past decade, Lingalayam has been fortunate to collaborate with artists of international repute. These experiences have challenged and enhanced the artistic practice within the company while expanding their horizons. As a result of the influences of the collaborative partnerships undertaken, today Lingalayam’s choreographic vocabulary far transcends the boundaries of its original performative paradigms, and presents contemporary work founded on its classical origins.
Cast and Crew
Conception and Direction
Anandavalli and Ian Cleworth
Choreography
Anandavalli
Stage Concept and Design
Bart Groen
Taikoz Choreography
Anton Lock and Thomas Royce-Hampton
Producer
Lee McIver
Animation
Bartek Reszelski & Lee McIver
Lighting Design
Karen Norris
Dramaturgy
Thomas Royce-Hampton
Composers
Ian Cleworth
John Cleworth
Riley Lee
John Napier
Aruna Parthiban
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Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars. Please remember to maintain physical distancing whilst consuming drinks in our foyers.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer consistent with COVID-safe rules.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see their website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel and COVID-19 safety measures. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six min walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We encourage you to wear a mask in indoor settings or when physical distancing can’t be maintained, and please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of everyone on site, and we are closely following NSW Health guidelines and advice. The Sydney Opera House is registered as a COVID Safe business with the NSW Government. For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you when visiting, please see our plan your visit page.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
As you move around the Opera House, practise physical distancing (1.5 metres whenever possible) and follow the guidance provided by our staff and signage.
Within venues, always take your allocated seat.
For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you, please see our plan your visit page.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
Contact information is required when making a booking with us and upon arrival at the Opera House, as set out in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events and our Customer Privacy Statement.
As the ticket purchaser, you are responsible for recording the contact details of your guests. Contact information will only be used for the purposes of contact tracing, if required, and will be deleted at least 28 days after your event.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend. If you can no longer attend because you are unwell, or have been in contact with someone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the Opera House has introduced flexible ticketing options to help you.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House will become a smoke-free site from Saturday 1 January 2022.
By becoming a smoke-free site, the Opera House seeks to reduce exposure to harmful second-hand smoke, as well as minimise the impact of smoking on the environment, including litter and pollution of the surrounding marine environment.
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