Skid, the smash hit by French-Belgian choreographer Damien Jalet which has toured extensively, is performed on a giant shining white stage tilted steeply at 34 degrees to make it look like a ski slope.

“It’s about battling with gravity and the importance of letting go, which is an important lesson to remember all through life,” said Katrin Hall, the Icelandic artistic director of GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, which is based in Sweden.

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“It’s very exciting and nerve-racking for the audience to watch the dancers perform on such a steep slope … the beauty of dance is that everyone has an interpretation as to what it means,” she said.

Hall first came to the attention of singer Shakira when the choreographer was working in her home town of Reykjavík, and asked her to work on the music video for her song Did it Again. She was then recruited as a choreographer for the British version of BBC’s popular television show So You Think You Can Dance.

She now heads the hugely popular contemporary dance company in Sweden’s second-biggest city, Gothenburg. Since she’s been at the helm, it has become renowned for pushing the boundaries, attracting 1423 applicants this past year – including several dancers from Australia – for 18 coveted positions in its dance program.

Grammy Award winning-chanteuse Rizo performs a cabaret show at the Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf Theatre, which finishes up Saturday night.

Raised by a troupe of Oregon theatre hippies, trained as a classical actress and once a teenage punk rocker, Rizo (Amelia Zirin-Brown) is a festival cult favourite returning after a sold-out season in Sydney Festival 2018.

At The Rebel Theatre, the HQ of Australian Theatre for Young People, Yuwaalaraay playwright Hannah Belanszky and Kalkadoon director Abbie-lee Lewis present Saplings, a collection of humorous and heartbreaking stories born from workshops with young people experiencing the youth justice system across the state from Marrickville to Moree.

Four ATYP actors – Maliyan Blair, Nyasha Ogden, Ioane Sa’ula and Wesley Patten – take on multiple roles in this very personal production that asks questions about the criminal justice system for young people. Our critic has raved about the show, which continues until February 4.

Set to a soundtrack of rap and hip-hop music made by young people in the youth justice system, four young actors provide a raw look into the adult consequences faced by some of our most vulnerable.

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