The Dinner Party (titled The Host when it premiered in 2015, and reimagined for the 2019 Expressions Dance Company ensemble) is a contemporary dance theatre work choreographed by Natalie Weir that explores power, greed, ambition, and jealousy in the context of a sophisticated dinner party. The Host (Jake McLarnon) is an influential young man who commands and demands attention from his guests, an array of people in his orbit that seek or envy his power. As the dinner party wears on, the choreography explores The Host’s evolving relationships and power play with his guests and their true colours, and with his wife The Hostess (guest artist Lizzie Vilmanis).

Jake McLarnon (centre) with Josephine Weise, Jag Popham, Isabella Hood and Bernhard Knauer. Photo © David Kelly

The Dinner Party is also the company’s first production under new Artistic Director Amy Hollingsworth, who wrote in her program notes that the production was a “fitting tribute to the legacy that Natalie has created for the company” to “honour her with our first mainstage season of 2019”.

Costuming by celebrated Australian fashion designer Gail Sorronda revealed elements of each character and no detail was missed, down to...