Latest news with #Illume
SBS Australia
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Darrel Sibosado Brings his Artistic Eye to Bangarra's Illume
NITV Radio speaks with Darrell Sibosado, a Bard man from Lombadina by the Dampier Peninsula of the Kimberley coast, Western Australia. In their first time working with a First Nations visual artist, Bangarra Dance Theatre's Illume will have Darrell as an artist and cultural collaborator to bring the story of Country to life. "with this work, lighting is a big part of it, and its trying to reflect my visual arts practice and at the same time give an essence or feel of my Country." Bangarra Dance Theatres Illume will be touring nationally, from the 4th June to 13th September.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Illume Fertility Sponsors and Attends Men Having Babies Chicago, Championing LGBTQ+ Paths to Parenthood During Pride Month
Dr. Mark Leondires, Founder, Medical Director, and Partner at Illume Fertility provided expertise and education as a panelist on the Medical Aspects of Surrogacy. NORWALK, Conn., June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Illume Fertility, a leading fertility practice in the tri-state area known for its award-winning medical team of expert physicians, patient-centered care, and advanced reproductive treatments enabling patients to achieve their fertility and family-building goals, sponsored and exhibited at Men Having Babies (MHB)'s recent conference in Chicago. The not-for-profit conference returned to Chicago's Center on Halsted offering same-sex male couples and individual fathers-to-be guidance and access to resources on their path to parenthood through surrogacy. "We are incredibly proud to support the Men Having Babies conference in Chicago, especially during Pride Month, which continues to open doors for intended fathers across the country pursuing their dream of parenthood," said Dr. Mark Leondires, Founder, Medical Director, and Partner at Illume Fertility. "By connecting fathers-to-be with expert guidance, vital resources, and a strong network of support, these men can take meaningful steps toward building their families and make informed decisions as they navigate the often challenging yet rewarding path to parenthood. At Illume, we underscore the importance of inclusive fertility care for all, and pave the way for people seeking to experience the joys of becoming a parent so they can focus on the most special, and memorable moments of the journey." Dr. Leondires shared his expertise on the "Medical Aspects of Surrogacy" panel, offering education and insight to intended parents navigating the path to fatherhood. Having himself been personally through the process, he highlighted his experience, in conjunction pointing to how Illume has supported patients from over 50 countries, with more than 1,500 successful surrogacy journeys and over 15,000 babies born. He and the team at Illume were honored to provide support, leadership and guidance to dozens of attendees exploring family-building options and enable them to jumpstart their path to success. Across the United States and around the world, gay men who wish to become fathers often face significant legal, financial, and cultural obstacles. MHB supports members who intend to become parents within two years by providing discounted and free services donated by more than one hundred leading IVF, surrogacy, egg donation, and legal service providers to prospective parents, through its Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP). In addition to providing cash grants to eligible parents, the program also provides discounted and donated complementary services such as fertility medication, escrow services, and insurance resource services. For the first time, this year's MHB Chicago event introduced special programming specifically designed for prospective parents affected by infertility, further expanding its reach and support to a broader audience. Tim and Steve, a New York couple who built their family through two IVF and surrogacy journeys, shared their experience working with Illume Fertility: "It was important to us to find a doctor and clinic that really embraces the LGBTQ+ community, and it was immediately clear that the entire Illume Fertility team truly derives joy from helping us grow our families." For more information on LGBTQ+ paths to parenthood, visit About Illume FertilityIllume Fertility is a leading fertility practice in the tri-state area providing a best-in-class patient experience and cutting-edge treatments by award-winning physicians to help patients achieve their fertility and family-building goals. Led by an expert team of nine highly credentialed, board-certified reproductive endocrinologists, many of whom have received Castle Connolly's prestigious Top Doctors award, Illume Fertility specializes in a complete range of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) including intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and egg, sperm, and embryo cryopreservation. Recognized as a Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign for seven consecutive years, Illume Fertility's commitment to inclusive care includes a world-renowned egg donation and gestational surrogacy program, a dedicated team of third-party reproduction experts, and Gay Parents To Be®, an award-winning resource hub offering tailored support for LGBTQ+ family building. Illume Fertility is the only regional fertility clinic with offices in Connecticut and New York offering comprehensive holistic support services, including in-house nutrition counseling, onsite genetic counselors, fertility acupuncture, yoga for fertility, community events, as well as a network of mental health providers focused on fertility and family-building. Illume Fertility is proud of its exceptional success rates and continues to be a leader in patient-centered care, providing compassionate, expert guidance to each prospective parent we serve. Media ContactStacy Callahan, Astonish Media Group, 917-972-1101, stacy@ Andretta, Illume Fertility, 845-494-7229, vandretta@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Illume Fertility Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time Out
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
a stunning and powerful production... can't be missed
It's a chilly but beautiful winter's night on Cadigal land as I walk towards the Sydney Opera House. The lights of Vivid Sydney paint the harbour with mesmerising displays, creating the perfect atmosphere in the lead up to seeing Bangarra Dance Theatre 's brand new production, Illume. While Vivid lights up the exterior of the iconic Opera House, Illume sets the stage alight from the inside. An otherworldly spectacle, Illume is a collaboration between Mirning choreographer (and Bangarra's visionary artistic director) Frances Rings and Goolarrgon Bard visual artist Darrell Sibosado. Sibosado, known for his innovative contemporary light installations, lends his talents to the set and stage design in a theatrical experience that pays tribute to the creation stories of the Bard and Jawi people and the cultural hero, Galaloong. As the performance begins, audiences are immediately awestruck by a stunning display of the night sky – the dancers are enveloped by twinkling stars projected onto a sheer screen at the front of the stage and also on the back wall, with yet more lights darting around the stage providing an atmospheric glimmer. Elizabeth Gadsby 's costume design complements this, sparkly black dresses shimmer under the lights, alluding to the pristine beauty of land and sky untouched by environmental pollution. As the story progresses, and with each change in season, the costumes reflect the surroundings; shades of brown, red and beige are worn in the warmer and dry seasons. This attention to detail demonstrates a strong commitment to holistic storytelling. The symbolism woven throughout, by way of the choreography, props and stage design, transports the audience through a journey of Country and spiritualism. Vertical light blocks move up and down while the dancers navigate their bodies around them in a beautiful symbolic display of the spiritual significance of trees in Indigenous cultures. As the dancers travel across the stage, they move through a combination of dance styles, from traditional cultural dance, to contemporary dance and lyrical steps. Rings' stylistic choices expertly utilise the dancers' bodies to create beautiful patterns and shapes, and to mimic natural elements. Throughout the production we see the women dancing together as a united group, followed by the men dancing together; and while these groups remain separate in some scenes, in others they are combined. Rings' use of perspective and height is also successful in creating atmosphere and continuity of the story. As the dancers fall and roll across the stage in sync with one another, it mimics rolling water or wind. As the dancers lift each other up, creating differences in height, we can follow the story of the trees as they grow, sway and react to the elements. The music, composed by Brendon Boney, is also spectacular and, in some scenes, unexpected. While we are treated to percussive beats involving traditional instruments such as clapping sticks, there are also nods to science-fiction. As the show progresses, we start to experience more futuristic music and visuals, including some elements of hip-hop style movements accompanied by more techno-forward scores. The production's prop work also builds off the stunning light display. For example, one memorable scene involves dancers holding large illuminated ropes, twisting them and creating patterns. As a dancer myself, I want to note just how difficult that is to do – the precision required to ensure every dancer arrives at the specific spot on stage at the right moment to produce the shape is something that takes many hours of intricate planning and rehearsals. Yet, the dancers move with such ease and grace that it appears effortless. This ensemble's seamless and impressive transitions are to be highly commended. For me, the most beautiful moment of the whole show would have to be the yarning circle that occurs towards the end. A calm, quiet and seemingly 'simple' moment, this scene is able to convey deep connection with little movement. As a fire steadily burns to the right side of the stage, a group of dancers to the left are huddled together in a yarning circle, a cultural practice undertaken for close connection between mob. As the dancers sit there, under a spotlight, ash gently falls from the sky onto them. The effect is calm and serene. Overall, Illume is a stunning and powerful production. It is evident that an enormous amount of work has gone into this, and the result is a striking show that can't be missed. I highly recommend that you get out to see it.
The Guardian
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Bangarra: Illume review – exquisite dance show makes for an astonishing visual feast
Kinetic light and energy gloriously transmit Indigenous cultural knowledge in Bangarra Dance Theatre's latest production, Illume: a dance cycle that flows across 11 interwoven sections within an abstracted, ephemeral landscape that shimmers with light, a symbol of life. Tubular poles of neon click on and off to the dancers' rhythms, as shooting lights conjure both the cosmos and ceremonial dance wear designs. The ensemble then loops one another in bright white cables that form connected patterns suggesting their kinship. Light is portrayed as a connection between the spiritual and physical worlds but as a destructive force too; a gathering tempest of light pollution and the industrial exploitation of Country. A large guan (mother of pearl) shell descends from the ceiling, emitting a spotlight, connecting land, sea and lian/liarrn (inner being or spirit). But colonisation is coming: the performers begin to dance frenetically while seated on boxes, as if in a European missionaries' classroom denuded of Indigenous cultural systems. Now in its 36th year, the Sydney-based troupe has chalked up two firsts with this new show, which was choreographed by artistic director Frances Rings. This is their first collaboration with a visual artist, Goolarrgon Bard pearl carver Darrell Sibosado, from Lombadina on the Dampier Peninsula in Western Australia (although Bangarra's former head of design Jacob Nash, who left the company in 2023 after 12 years, remains highly regarded for his artistry too). And second, this is Bangarra's first season in the Sydney Opera House's 1,500-seat Joan Sutherland theatre, after a two-decade tenure in the more intimate, 577-seat Drama theatre. The company has performed in the Joan Sutherland before, but as part of an Australian Ballet collaboration in 2012. With Illume, Bangarra makes the most of the substantially larger theatre, the expanded space maximising the show's astonishing visual images – a whirlpool of fish, a fire ceremony and euphoric flashes of swirling, sandy reds that suggest the jagged pindan cliffs of Sibosado's Kimberley home. This visual artistry envelops the achingly exquisite shapes made by the Bangarra dancers, who become part of Sibosado's pattern. By chance last week, at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, I happened across Sibosado's arresting wall-length electrical work Ngarrgidj Morr (the proper path to follow), the same name he has given a section in Illume about the interconnectedness of all living things. The NGA work, a triptych of men's ceremonial dance plates rendered in powder-coated steel with LED tubes, echoes the designs seen in the Bangarra work; both allow us to see the strength of cultural lore and the enduring legacy of spirit in ways ancient and optimistically futuristic. At times, I craved an obvious delineation of Illume's 11 sections but quickly realised flagging each chapter would have broken the spell; they segue seamlessly into one another. In the end, I could not believe the show's 70-minute (no interval) run time had passed so quickly. Rings, who took over as Bangarra's artistic director in 2023, is showing an admirable ambition for the company with this collaboration; kudos are also due to set designer Charles Davis, lighting designer Damien Cooper, costume designer Elizabeth Gadsby and composer Brendon Boney. Long may Bangarra begin its annual tour in this way, on the epic stage and auditorium it deserves. Bangarra's Illume is at the Sydney Opera House until 14 June, Perth's Heath Ledger theatre 10-13 July, Albany Entertainment Centre 18 July, Canberra Theatre Centre 25-26 July, Queensland Performing Arts Centre 31 July-9 August, Darwin Entertainment Centre 15-16 August, and Arts Centre Melbourne 3-13 September
SBS Australia
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
NITV Radio - On Air Program 4/6/2025
Coming up on this episode of NITV Radio we share a story about the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans that have been honoured at a ceremony in Sydney. NITV Radio is joined by Darrell Sibosado who is working alongside Bangarra for the latest work Illume premiering at Sydney Opera House this week.
