Emerging Wellington Performer Next Artist To Join Internationally Recognised Only Bones Project

Wellington-based dancer and actor, Daniel Nodder, returns to the New Zealand Fringe Festival to premier his brand new solo show, Only Bones V1.10. Nodder has created the show under the mentorship of award-winning circus performer, Thomas Monckton (The Artist, The King of Taking).

Only Bones V1.10 is the tenth iteration of a series of solo shows grouped together under The Only Bones Project. Created by Monckton, The Only Bones Project is designed to challenge and celebrate physical performers. Monkton recruits and guides each practitioner through the process of creating their own original solo show with no text, no set, no props, no narrative, only one light and within one metre squared. These restrictions are designed to produce a low-tech reliant show which places focus on the use of a performer's body.

Monckton says, “We have such a wealth of talented physical performers in this world and I wanted to create something that celebrates the weird, wacky and wonderful things they can do. The restrictions are a key part of that. It means that the performers can’t rely on a big set or fancy tech, all they have is their body and their creativity.”

Each Only Bones practitioner is a skilled physical performer in their own right before being brought into the Only Bones Project. Their areas of expertise span across a range of physical performance mediums such as circus, dance, contortion and acrobatics. Daniel Nodder, no exception to this rule, has been dancing in both professional and amateur spaces since he was seven years old. His two most recent solo shows, Stepping Up (2021) and Smile Stuff (2022) both earned him nominations for the NZ Fringe Festival’s ‘Most Promising Emerging Artist’ award.

Nodder says, “I saw Thom perform the original Only Bones in 2018, which was the catalyst for The Only Bones Project, and it changed my life. It’s a huge part of the reason why I now make theatre and it informs nearly every piece of work I make. So, to be invited by Thom to make an Only Bones of my own is a pretty amazing experience.”

Working closely with Monckton, Nodder has developed Only Bones V1.10 into a physical show completely devoid of any spoken words but suffused with exceptionally challenging feats of dance and physical theatre. Supported by a score of original music composed by Wellington-based composer and musician, Ben Kelly, the meandering narrative will take audiences to the far reaches of our universe, from creation to destruction to recreation and everything in between.

Daniel Nodder and Thomas Monkton present,
Only Bones V1.10
7 - 11 March 2023, 8pm & 5pm
Te Auaha
New Zealand Fringe Festival
Tickets and more info from: https://www.fringe.co.nz/show/only-bones-v1-10

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