THE IRONING MAIDENS’ WORLD PREMIERE AT TANKS ARTS CENTRE

Cairns Festival is set to ignite with an electrifying performance as The Ironing Maidens take the stage for their hotly anticipated world premiere of Hot & Heavy.

Performing at Tanks Arts Centre on August 25 and 27, The Ironing Maidens invite audiences to break free, step out of the doom and gloom of climate change and create a vision for a new utopia inspired by their immersive, interactive fabulation that is part installation, part performance and part banging dance party.

The Ironing Maidens’ Melania Jack and Patty Preece worked with a climate specialist and engaged a virtuoso team to help develop the new world to explore.

They included choreographic director Leigh-Anne Vizer, who has also been busy with FIFA World Cup ceremonies, and Auslan performance interpreter, Alison Toft, to help break down inclusivity barriers.

“We are working with the Cairns community through a series of workshops in the lead up to the performance so that we can skill share in music and dance and invite people to create with us and join in the live performance,” Patty said.

While still retaining a sense of fun with electronic instruments made from irons and ironing boards and incorporating a gliding washing machine, swinging Hills Hoist, an aerialist and dance troupe, Hot & Heavy moves away from the cheeky, poppy world of electric housewives and into something deeper.

“This is the next phase of The Ironing Maidens, a show with a different look and feel,” Melania said.

The first act is an immersive installation/gallery-like experience, which Melania credits to their grounding during Covid, off the international festival and national touring stage.

The second act lifts the energy with electronic music and rhythm created from the banging beat of a broken-down washing machine.

The performance is designed to spark the audience's imagination and have them questioning where and how the domestic space affects the environment and possible alternatives for “our collective futures”.

“We have been bombarded with this doom and gloom about what climate change will do to us in our lives so we wanted to create an opportunity where people can be enabled to see something different, to visualise something different and act on it so it is uplifting and empowering,” Melania explained.

The Ironing Maidens creative workshops are open to anyone aged 15 and over and of any ability who wants to upskill and engage in the Hot & Heavy community ensemble.

The workshops cover electronic music and song writing, plus dance and improvisation, and will be held throughout the month in the lead up to the performances.

Hot & Heavy will premiere at the Tanks Arts Centre on Friday, August 25 from 8pm, followed by a dance party with DJ Hiphophoe until midnight, and a matinee show on Sunday, August 27 at 1pm.

Cairns Festival runs from Friday, August 25, until Sunday, September 3. For the full program of music, theatre, film, dance and events and more information go to  www.cairnsfest.com.au.

Visit https://events.humanitix.com/host/the-ironing-maidens for upcoming workshops which will be held from today, August 4-5 at CQUniversity Cairns and from August 15-19 at Tanks Arts Centre.

ENDS

ABOUT:

The Ironing Maidens are a trailblazing collective of visionary artists who challenge conventional norms through their boundary-pushing performances. They are renowned for crafting immersive experiences that inspire audiences to envision a better world. Their upcoming event promises to be a powerful amalgamation of art, performance, and dance, offering an unforgettable opportunity to break free from the constraints of the present and embrace the infinite possibilities of the future.