IGNITE THE DARK was created by jazz dance theatre choreographers Daniel Ryan and Alfie Scalia in 2010. Jazz, specifically where is pertains to jazz dance, as well as its relation to theatre and art, is all about life, humanity and the human spirit. Together Daniel and Alfie wanted to develop works that explored the human condition.

With a jazz sensibility and a desire to create cheeky, compelling and often satirical works, as well as dark tragi-comedy. Daniel and Alfie wanted dance to say more. For dance narratives to be compelling, audience friendly, and to be seen as a viable form of story-telling. Something that an audience could hook onto and relate to without needing to have a deeper understanding of the art form to enjoy the performances. To make the work accessible.

Each IGNITE THE DARK performance commences construction from the written word, whether in prose, script, poem or supposition format.  From this the sound, the look and, above all, the pacing of movement is formulated. We believe dance is a powerful storytelling device and look to demonstrate our brand of new and innovative, roguish entertainment that can speak to a range of audiences from young adults through to older, more refined tastes. For IGNITE THE DARK, dance is the connective that links and informs our stories.