Co-created by Robert Vaughn and Nicholas McArthur, The Dancing Plague of 1518 uses dance/movement and spoken word to tell a story. Inspired by the historic Dancing Plague, the performance draws upon themes of possession, religious worship, witchcraft and magic, industrial labour and animalistic behaviour.

Intended as a response to the psychological impacts of consumer culture, urbanism, land waste and political unrest, the artists endeavour to draw points of connection with these contemporary themes and the volatile and perilous conditions of the 16th century.

Set to a soundtrack that juxtaposes Gregorian Chanting with intense dance music, the performance merges disparate movements, actions and approaches to dance in a series of loosely choreographed  pieces.

Originally meeting at high school in 1999, the Artists long term friendship has greatly informed the work they create together, both in terms of its content and the performative dynamic between the pair. The artists backgrounds in Politics/ Sociology (RV) and Visual Art (NM) has informed a dialogue central to to the themes of the work.