La Vita Dei Diamanti – Desert Diamonds

Artist 

The Desert Diamonds NT are an Alice Springs based, female-run dance company. They create theatrical experiences which are vibrant, energetic, exciting, glamorous yet accessible and promote body positivity.   

The Desert Diamonds NT shows curate inclusive and encouraging spaces for artists which cultivate the establishing and exploration of art forms, foster cross collaboration and a meeting point for artist ideas and professional interaction and supports the display work across dance, cultural dance, apparatus-based dance, circus, physical theatre, music, circus, drag, cabaret and open definition performance arts.  

They maintain a culture which fosters the interdisciplinary nature of the intersection between multiple performance mediums, and which promote exploration of identity and gender representation.   

Additionally, our environment supports local art workers by engaging photographers, videographers, sound and lighting technicians, costume designers and set designers to work as part of professional productions.  

Development Process 

2022 marked the 5th anniversary since the inception of the Desert Diamonds, and to celebrate, their project Seed was planned to be a Birthday celebration at the House of Diamonds, a fantasy promenade piece where the audience could get a glimpse behind the curtain and witness the Diamonds in their home environment.  

The development work for this group was not so much about the artistry and dance, it was a skills development exercise in promenade performance, and performance in alternative spaces.   

They worked closely with Red Hot Arts staff to craft an experience for the audience that was immersive, fun and safe.   

The venue at White Gums is a private home, so there was a huge amount of logistics to navigate in order to host 75 audience members, keeping the illusion alive all the while navigating through the venue.   

Outcome 

Two coach loads of audience members were taken to a beautiful, mystery location for a magical sold out show.  

Upon arrival, guests were greeted by the Diamonds in character and ushered into the White Gums house for champagne, refreshments and nibbles. 

The cabaret journey began in the ‘Round Room’ with a glamorously, teasing opening number followed by a glitzy tap performance.  Guests were then taken through different domestic spaces before arriving under the starry night sky of the White Gums property, backdropped by some of Mparntwe’s stunning mountain ranges.  

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