Temple of Desire

Following sell-out, award-winning seasons in Melbourne and Toronto, one of Australia’s most celebrated and innovative dance companies, Karma Dance presents Temple of Desire, a visually stunning dance performance that merges ancient Indian culture with contemporary queer and trans narratives, at the iconic Sydney Opera House from Thursday 4th to Friday 5th June.

Winner of the 2024 Melbourne Fringe Director’s Choice Award and nominated for Outstanding Choreography at the 2024 Green Room awards, Temple of Desire features 20 dancers of South Asian descent and a trans person of colour actor in an exploration of cultural loss, post-colonial trauma, sexual liberation and their impact on queer rights, women’s rights and the trans experience.

Drawing on training in the classical Indian dance form of Bharatanātyam, the dancers rediscover a pre-colonial world where the divine and the sensual unite with splendour and power. A celebratory world where pleasure and joy (കാമ / kāma) are not forbidden but are pathways to liberation (മോക്ഷ / mōksha).

This ground-breaking production addresses the historical acceptance of same-sex relationships in pre-colonial India, juxtaposed with the impact of post-colonial-era laws. By recontextualizing Bharatanatyam’s traditional elements with modern attire and innovative choreography, Temple of Desire aims to captivate and challenge audiences - particularly engaging younger generations and those interested in experimental and subversive art forms.

In addition to the captivating performances, the closing night will feature Temple of Desire: The After Party. DJ Goddess Naavikaran will bathe the Sydney Opera House foyer in remixes of pop, Carnatic, Bollywood and deconstructed club. Join performers and the audience for one final celebration of our histories, futures, dreams and desires: a collective liberation.

This latest production builds on a decade of acclaimed, boundary-shifting dance by Karma Dance including In Plain Sanskrit (2015), Bent Bollywood (2018), Third Nature (2018), Kāla (2019), Narasimha (2022), and Mōhini (2023).

Sumptuous and unapologetically queer, Temple of Desire is an uplifting journey that embraces alternative histories and liberatory futures. Teeming with tradition, yet subversive and unbound, it leads us to a place of beauty, euphoria, joy and deeper human understanding.