ORBIT 2026: In conversation with Amy Zhang – [gameboy]

Absurd, funny and poignant. Discover the creative thinking behind Amy Zhang's contemporary dance work.

On Saturday 28 November, Burrinja presents ORBIT 2026: Future History and [ gameboy ], bringing two distinctive contemporary dance works to the Dandenong Ranges for one special evening.

Presented in partnership with Sydney Dance Company, Dancehouse and Australian Dance Theatre, ORBIT offers local audiences the opportunity to experience contemporary dance works that are more commonly presented in Melbourne's inner-city venues.

Ahead of the performance, Burrinja Creative Director and CEO Melanie Burge spoke with Amy Zhang, choreographer of [ gameboy ], about the origins of the work, her collaboration with the performers, the creative process and her ambitions for the production.

Meet Amy Zhang

Congratulations on the opening performance of the remounted work in Sydney. What was the audience's reaction like?
The show really invites the audience to participate. It encourages them to react verbally throughout and at the end. All reactions are welcome.

There's a lot of laughter, a lot of cringey moments and a lot of reflection. It takes you on a ride.

Where has the work been seen before?
The very first premiere was in Brisbane, my hometown, in 2024, in a co-presentation between Metro Arts and Mad Dance House. I took my first dance classes at Mad Dance.

Mad Dance presented a festival featuring street dance, called Dance 24, and [ gameboy ] was in that program. It's my first ever choreographed show. It was so nice to take the boys to Brisbane and show them my hometown.

Tell me more about how you got to know the two performers.
The two performers are Billy (William Keohavong) and Ko (Ko Yamada). In terms of the work, Billy has been part of the collaboration since the start. His heart and soul are deeply embedded in it.

I got to know Billy through a training program that I did in Sydney called Dance Formation. Billy was one of the mentor-choreographers. I really connected with Billy's practice, his physicality and his ideas around movement. I knew we were meant to do things together. We've worked together as dancers in the past, but [ gameboy ] is my first experience with me as choreographer and him as performer.

Ko joined Billy and me for the Brisbane season in 2024. There was another dancer, Toshi, who had to go home to Tokyo before the premiere. I'd met Ko through the street dance scene in Brisbane, although I didn't know him well. When Toshi had to leave, I was looking for a new dancer and I asked Ko.

The show is very weird, and it asks a lot from the performers, physically and mentally. They have to be open-minded!

How has the work evolved since the premiere season in 2024?
A lot of the bones of it are still there. What makes the work different is that I'm very collaborative as a choreographer, and I invite input from the performers to develop the characters with me.
The boys have developed the roles more deeply.

Ko totally changed his character. We made minor tweaks to some of the games and choreography.
The ideas are still the same; it evolves according to where the boys are at. Every season is slightly different.

For someone who hasn't seen much contemporary dance, what words would you use to describe what they're about to experience?
The show is absurd, it's funny and it's poignant. It can get a little dark!

What's been the most challenging part of remounting the show?
I flew to Los Angeles last week for a whole week to work on another project. So I had to give [ gameboy ] to a choreography assistant to keep working on the show while I was away. That was challenging. The assistant had never seen the show before, and I'd never experienced working in that way before. There was lots of learning along the way.

I was really grateful for the internet. We could send videos and photos back and forth and chat in real time.

It sounds like learning how to do that long-distance collaboration online is a useful tool?
Yes, definitely. It made me think about how, post-COVID, there was a lot of negativity about online creative development for dance work, for example, creating a show while working on Zoom. People really didn't like it!

I grew up on the internet, and I had lots of friends through online gaming and internet culture. I always thought there was a positive way we could use the internet. I feel like this season of [ gameboy ] has proven that the internet is a beautiful way to connect.

What are your ambitions for the show? Where would you love it to tour in future?
My real dream for [ gameboy ] is heavily inspired by a TV show called Physical: 100. It's a competition reality TV show on Netflix. The original is based in Korea, with 100 top athletes from different sports being tested with all kinds of physical challenges to see whether there's one particular superior training type. The athletes are put through different tests. It's incredibly difficult and demanding. They're all running on treadmills and hanging off things.

To have 100 dancers doing [ gameboy ] is my dream!

When you talk about a TV show set in Korea featuring an incredibly demanding competition, that makes me think of Squid Game...
Ha ha, well, if you talk to the boys, they might be feeling close to that!

What has it been like being selected for the ORBIT pilot program?
Honestly, it's such a privilege. It's my first ever work in the contemporary dance space. Usually, I work in commercial film and dance projects. To be working with the legends of the contemporary scene, I feel so honoured.

It's so difficult to get work up and tour it, so the opportunity to take the work beyond one season and share it with audiences like Burrinja's is a dream, and I'm really grateful.

Tell us about a couple of artists who have been a big influence on your artistic practice.
Angela Goh. I'm obsessed. The first time I saw her work, it changed my life.

Yayoi Kusama was the first artist I was asked to research back in high school. She also changed my life. The absurdity in her work and how visceral it is opened my eyes to what art can be.

Tyler, the Creator is a music artist who thinks outside the box of what it means to be a musician. He connects the dots of all his interests and loves. He creates a world of his artistry beyond the music that really inspires me.

Any message for Burrinja audiences?
Only that, whatever your perception of contemporary dance is, leave it at the door!

Please note: this video is a showreel showcasing Amy Zhang’s work and does not contain footage of [ gameboy ].

Experience ORBIT 2026 at Burrinja

Join us for an evening of contemporary dance featuring Amy Zhang's [ gameboy ] alongside Gabrielle Nankivell's Future History.

Two distinctive works, presented together for one night at Burrinja.
ORBIT 2026: Future History + [ gameboy ]
Saturday 28 November 2026 | 6.30pm
Burrinja Theatre
Tickets are now on sale.