Tony Yap's trance dance

As a dancer Tony Yap is influenced by his research into Asian sharmanistic trance dance and Butoh. His next challenge is a major solo work Budda Body Series which will further explore techniques of Javanese dance and vocal work.

Supported by a two-year Australia Council dance fellowship Budda Body Series will draw on issues of trance, migration and identity as well as ideas of ‘emptiness’ and fulfilment’ in spirituality.

Tony’s aim is to widen his experience and creative links as an artist in Asia and nurture an appreciation of the more challenging contemporary Asian arts in audiences from all backgrounds.

Tony Yap began his performance career as a visual artist and extended into physical theatre in which he has trained, choreographed and devised new material for over two decades. Tony was one of the principal performers with IRAA Theatre and has toured extensively in Australia and internationally.

Since establishing Tony Yap Company (Mixed Company) in 1993, he has made a commitment to  exploring and creating an individual dance theatre language informed by psycho-physical research into Asian dance forms including Butoh, and voice and visual design.

Tony brings an idiosyncratic form to his choreography and explores the ecstatic body. In 2000 he won the Green Room Award for best male dancer for his solo work The Decay of the Angel. Tony has also been awarded an Asialink residential grant.

Tony has collaborated with many companies and individuals in Australia, Indonesia, Austria, Italy, France, Malaysia, Denmark, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Japan. He has danced in an international collaborative works The Silence of the Forest with Company Lian in Paris and The Night Gardener in Marseille for the Mai-diteranee Festival.