It appears perfectly reasonable to describe dance as a quiet language as Daniel Riley does in his program note for Australian Dance Theatre’s new work.

Indeed the start A Quiet Language takes quiet to the extreme, opening in complete silence.

There’s no music at this point, just two dancers – Zoe Wozniak and Yilin Kong – connecting with each other and audience members seated in banks on either side of a wide performance space.

Just as things seem to be settling in nicely the disruption starts. There are shouts, growls and screams. These dancers have voices and they and colleagues Zachary Lopez, Patrick O’Luanaigh and Sebastian Geilings will use them.

A Quiet Language is a long, long, long way from being quiet, actually and metaphorically.

Australian Dance Theatre: A Quiet Language. Photo © Morgan Sette

A Quiet Language is ADT’s 60th anniversary year show and takes its impetus from what has been called the rebellious energy of ADT founder Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, now 91 and creative consultant on the work.

You could say Riley, who took over the ADT artistic directorship in 2023, has inherited that energy. ADT is the oldest contemporary dance company in...