#35: Mood Africa (1968)

Under Suzanne Musitz’ leadership and the introduction of more daring dance elements, Anita Ardell’s Mood Africa took the All that Jazz program to new heights. Shifting away from ballet, and embracing the rapid societal change of the 60s, it was one of the company’s more risqué works. The costumes were boundary pushing for the time, with the women dressed in mesh midriffs and high-cut briefs. The men wore jock straps and footless tights, baring their chests. The work’s steaminess was embraced during Sydney summer, but come winter, the small of kerosene filled the air. At a venue in the Snowy Mountains, audience members were adorned in blankets and sat with portable heaters they had bought from home, to the envy of the scantily clad dancers.