“A Three Day Bender In One Hour”: Oli Mathiesen’s Tribute To Rave

Tonight, “The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave” commences its second show in Sydney as part of Sydney Dance Company’s 2026 INDance season. The homage to rave culture, choreographed by queer, Māori artist Oli Mathiesen, is not simply a high-octane spectacle. It is also a relentless test of endurance for the trio of dancers. Together, they condense all the highs and lows of a three day bender in just a single hour.

“The piece has a carefully crafted dramaturgical arc which mirrors that experience,” Mathiesen explained. “There’s arriving at the club, then returning to the dance floor because there’s another good track, then being like ‘okay, it’s 2AM, we should go home’, then somehow ending up in conversation, and then the sun’s coming up. The piece evokes all those sensations.

“Because of that, people often locate their own stories in the piece, like ‘ah, I had a weekend once like that’. We’re often told that after the show, people got so riled up that they ended up going out clubbing straight away afterwards.”

“The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave” Is A Love Letter To Rave Culture

But don’t let all the fun, sweat, and adrenaline fool you. Underpinning all the chaos is actually a meticulously crafted love letter to rave culture. One dedicated to the Black, Latinx, queer, and trans communities that first created these safe havens. This care is best reflected in Mathiesen’s own words.

“We poured our souls into making the work,” Mathiesen explained, “and it’s detailed down to the millimetre. The soundtrack that we perform to, ‘Nocturbulous Behaviour’ by Suburban Knight, is the ornate fabric that we have finely embroidered with our choreography, and every moment is pulled from rave culture.

“From our movements to the sonic design, there’s a lot of nostalgia in the work. Older ravers will recognise nods to the iconic 90s rave era. We pay homage to all of the dance styles and genres that have been born out of rave – things like popping and locking and ballroom, and also more modern styles like gabber and house dance. There’s even a little bit of Bob Fosse, a nod to the ‘Sweet Charity’ party scene.”

Rave = Community

The piece, beyond celebrating rave culture, challenges common narratives that seek to reduce rave culture to problematic drug use. For Mathiesen, rave spaces are about an ecstasy achieved through music, movement, self-expression, and connection. 

“It’s a place of community,” Mathiesen said of rave spaces. “As queer people, we are often searching for belonging, and what I really enjoy about rave spaces is there is still kind of an independence and individualism. I can be in commune with a room full of people, but I can also just be there with my eyes closed, listening to the music, dancing. I can feel like I’m belonging without conforming, without feeling like I have to explain myself to people. It’s really a place where you need only exist to be accepted. 

“I’m also attracted to the intensity of it,” Mathiesen continued. “It allows me to escape the intensity of my own life. When the music is so loud and so booming, and the frequency is so high in the room, I can escape some of my anxieties and just get consumed by the energy.”

Something for Everyone

While the show is resonating with ravers, a core ethos of Mathiesen’s practice is making contemporary dance accessible to all. It’s perhaps no surprise then that, no matter who you are, any butterfly can fly into this rave and be met with an outlandishly good time. A prime example of this is Mathiesen’s mother. Prior to viewing the show, she had never listened to techno before in her life.

“My mum now loves the album,” Mathiesen mused. “And I know that a lot of older generations have loved the soundtrack, which goes to show it’s not too polarising or intense. There’s a lot of groove and funk and heart in it still.”

Mathiesen notes that while music lovers can simply enjoy grooving to the soundtrack, there’s something for plot-lovers too. A deeper undercurrent runs through the piece: a story about “the enduring rat-race that all human beings are in”.

Raves Are Fun, But They’re Also An Act of Perseverance & Protest

“You witness these three dancers,” Mathiesen said, “who seem like they are in complete control of their movement and their bodies. You see them slowly disintegrate as fatigue enters their bodies and they keep on pushing and enduring more. And you see their authentic selves emerge as they try to get through the piece.”

Consequently, the show reflects a truth close to Mathiesen’s heart. Namely, that raves are not just sites of celebration, but also of endurance. 

“Raves show that we can persevere, we can push, and we can resist. They show that joy and celebration can be just as powerful forms of protest as picking up the picket sign, or putting your name down on a petition.

“Now more than ever in our current political climate, nationally in Australia and globally, we have to return to art. Even when it feels like it’s not the most important thing. For me, getting to exist and perform as a queer person on stage is in itself a form of protest.”