Merrigong Theatre Company and Branch Nebula are introducing the new and exciting world premiere of Air Time, an invigorating fusion of street style dance, theatre and sport with an eccentric electro soundtrack by Phil Downing.
These energising shows – taking place from 20 to 22 April at Wollongong Town Hall – challenge physical and mental boundaries as wheels and bodies take the stage, creating lively and stimulating scenes for everyone.
Branch Nebula is a performance company, co-founded by Lee Wilson and Mirabelle Wouters in 1999. Nebula works with unique and eccentric performers, dancing with danger and scintillating with a desire to defy conventional entertainment standards. Urban artists engage in BMX, skating, parkour, tricking and contemporary dance, flinging off ramps at dangerously fast rates and propelling towards each other in a daredevil way.
Wilson and Wouters said “what fuels us as artists is going to skate, BMX, and breakdance comps, protest marches, vogue balls, book clubs, crochet circles, punk gigs, bush walks, dance parties and shopping at the mall.”
One of the performers, Austin ‘Aussie’ Gray, first started skating in 2014 at a school holiday program in Sydney’s Northern Beaches when he was only 11-years-old.
He says that his first memory of skating on his own was “doing ollies down the stairs”– a trick that takes the ordinary beginner a long time to learn, whereas he only took a few hours to master the stunt. His father, an inspirational and supportive character in Austin’s skating career, also skated when he was younger. A family talent, one might say, and an exceptional one at that.
Flipping, jumping and gliding on the board, Austin viewed the art of skateboarding as an escapism from reality from which he could get a cathartic thrill. He still does, and the excitement only increases as he showcases his freaky talents. Austin has previously performed for Nebula in 2022 when he toured in the hectic production of demi-DEMO across Australia.
When asked about his experiences on this tour, he said “it was like no other” and “I was very blessed to travel and perform with people that I now call my friends”. It was a worthy, hyped experience in Austin’s memory. He recalls his joy upon “seeing everyone’s faces light up with smiles” when performing his stunts.
“Street styles are highly creative, not only as a sport, but as an artform” Branch Nebula on demi-DEMO.
Austin says that skateboarding is “not something you are born with but something you must put effort and time into achieving”. And although there were times when nervousness
and anxiety took over he pushed through. He expresses that he sees “skateboarding as a
catalyst for mental health” and encourages others to share his passion in his exhilarating sport.
Austin Gray now teaches skateboarding at the School of Skate in Brookvale and will surely have everyone’s hearts racing and blood pumping at the Air Time show.
Photos: Supplied