Chunky Move is located on the unceded lands of the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations. We respectfully acknowledge the significant contributions of Australia’s First Peoples, and are committed to supporting the continuity of culture and relationship to this land.
Max Burgess
Max Burgess is a queer choreographer, performer, and dramaturg based between Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country (Canberra) and Naarm (Melbourne).
They grew up dancing through Fresh Funk—a hip hop dance program in the south of Canberra—before pursuing training in contemporary dance through Ev & Bow (2018) and The New Zealand School of Dance (2019-2021).
As a performer they have collaborated with independents and companies across Australia including Stephanie Lake Company, Melanie Lane, Lucy Guerin Inc., Australian Dance Party, and Shaun Parker and Company. Their work as a performer has spanned the realms of theatre, visual art, site-specific performance, fashion and film.
As a choreographer, Max has developed and presented works in collaboration with Dancehouse, You Are Here Canberra, Performance Space and QL2 Dance.
Max’s works interrogate their relationship with the world, and their relationship with self. Through exploring interpersonal and introspective themes, Max questions how we connect to one another and ourselves—and how we might move closer to sociability.
Furthermore, Max lives as queer gender non-confirming person and believes that queerness cannot be divorced from their art and process. They view queerness as a lens to revitalise, redefine, and reform what is already known. They feel queerness has the power to make flexible that which otherwise is thought rigid, and in doing so challenge the traditional in both art and life.