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RISING’s international dance highlights reveal the beauty and brutality of being human

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · · 855 words · By Angela Conquet
Artistic Interpretation Contemporary Dance Review
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The article reviews two dance performances featured at the RISING festival in Melbourne: Oona Doherty's 'Hard to be Soft' and Florentina Holzinger's 'A Year without Summer'. The author describes the thematic elements, choreography, and emotional impact of both works.

Propaganda risk 20%
Claims checked 10
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

This year’s RISING festival in Melbourne, the host of the newly established Australian Dance Biennale, was brimming with local and interstate dance shows.

Why it matters

Comparatively, the international offer was much more limited, yet the return of two enfants terribles of European dance, Northern Irish choreographer Oona Doherty and Austrian maverick Florentina Holzinger, were the highlight of this rich dance program.

Common ground

Hard to be Soft: A Belfast Prayer Doherty’s Hard to be Soft was made almost a decade ago.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

The article reviews two dance performances featured at the RISING festival in Melbourne: Oona Doherty's 'Hard to be Soft' and Florentina Holzinger's 'A Year without Summer'. The author describes the thematic elements, choreography, and emotional impact of both works.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/risings-international-dance-highlights-reveal-the-be…

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “It is part of a series called A Concrete Song, in which her solo, Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus, put her on the choreographic map.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly link 'Hard to be Soft' and 'Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus' as part of the series 'A Concrete Song'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Footprints are the impressions or images left behind by a person walking or running. Hoofprints and pawprints are those left by animals with hooves or paws rather than feet, while "shoeprints" is the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footprint
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The historical evolution of the nude in art runs parallel to the history of art in general, except for small particularities derived from the different acceptance of nudity by the various societies an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_nude_in_art
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gavin Dunne (born 6 May 1980), better known by the name of his music project "Miracle of Sound", is an Irish indie musician known for his music inspired by video games, films, and TV shows. While not …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_Sound
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “the return of two enfants terribles of European dance, Northern Irish choreographer Oona Doherty and Austrian maverick Florentina Holzinger”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm Oona Doherty is a Northern Irish choreographer and Florentina Holzinger is an Austrian choreographer/performance artist.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Comparatively, the international offer was much more limited, yet the return of two enfants terribles of European dance, Northern Irish choreographer Oona Doherty and Austrian maverick Florentina Holz…
https://theconversation.com/risings-international-dance-high…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Concept, choreography, performance: Oona DohertySound: Oona Doherty, Chris McCorry and Strength NIABiography. Oona Doherty is an Irish Choreographer based in Belfast.
https://aerowaves.org/artist/oona-doherty/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Austrian choreographer and performance artist Florentina Holzinger, who brought TANZ to RISING in 2023, returns with A Year Without Summer, playing at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne from 28 to 3…
https://beat.com.au/for-the-next-two-weeks-melbourne-belongs…
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Claim 3: “This is the second time Holzinger has been invited by RISING. Many will remember her blood-churning 2023 show TANZ”
CORROBORATED
Web search results for RISING 2026 explicitly mention that Florentina Holzinger 'brought TANZ to RISING in 2023' and is now returning.
info
Claim 4: “John Scott and Louis Lovett... engage in a series of aggressive tugs and hesitant embraces.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific appearance of John Scott and Louis Lovett in 'Meat Kaleidoscope' is only mentioned in the review article.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 10, 2026 ... In Meat Kaleidoscope, two staunch men cautiously advance toward each other. What kind of trouble will this be? John Scott and Louis Lovett ...
https://theconversation.com/risings-international-dance-high…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago ... Meet the man behind the music! Paris Schutz has been singing and writing songs practically his whole life! By day, he's a familiar face as a ...
https://www.facebook.com/desplainestheatre/posts/meet-the-ma…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Join the music mail order clubs Columbia House, BMG Music Service, CD Heaquarters (CDHQ). Search their catalogs and faqs. Reviews, Sound Samples, Cool links ...
https://www.astro.sunysb.edu/lattimer/A.html
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Claim 5: “Doherty’s Hard to be Soft was made almost a decade ago.”
CORROBORATED
The claim states the piece was made 'almost a decade ago'. Evidence shows the piece was being performed/promoted in 2019 and 2022; given the 2026 context of the RISING festival mentioned in other evidence, this timeline is consistent.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of horror films that were released in 2022. This list includes films that are classified as horror as well as other subgenres.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_horror_films_of_2022
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oona Doherty's ugly/beautiful ode to the Ulster capital is one of the most affecting dance works I have ever seen. With its blend of mid-century social realism, ...
https://dancemagazine.com.au/2026/06/oona-dohertys-hard-to-b…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 16, 2019 ... Oona Doherty is a dance artist based in Northern Ireland. Though relatively new on the choreography scene, she's developed a mature ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otD71sRfd-A
+ 1 more evidence source
verified
Claim 6: “It was also the year Mary Shelley and her friends, stuck in a house on a lake, feared it may be the end of the world – and perhaps, when the idea that birthed Frankenstein emerged.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and History.com confirm Mary Shelley conceived Frankenstein in 1816 while staying at Lake Geneva.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Shortly afterwards, in a waking dream, Mary conceived the idea for Frankenstein, the story of a scientist who brings life to a likeness of man with disastrous ...
https://ksh.roma.it/romanticism/1816
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 9, 2018 ... Mary Shelley was among them—but when she arrived at Lake Geneva in May 1816, she was looking for a vacation, not literary inspiration ...
https://www.history.com/articles/frankenstein-true-story-mar…
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Claim 7: “This year’s RISING festival in Melbourne, the host of the newly established Australian Dance Biennale”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources confirm that the RISING festival in Melbourne hosts the inaugural Australian Dance Biennale.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Annie Shapero is an Australian-British actress. She is known for her work in television, notably for the role of Alysanne Blackwood in House of the Dragon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Shapero
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Melbourne ( MEL-bərn, locally [ˈmæɫbən] ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: Narrm or Naarm) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria and the second-most populous city in Austral…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rising (stylised RISING) is a city-wide arts festival held in Melbourne, Australia. The festival was announced in 2020 as Melbourne's premier arts and culture festival, replacing the Melbourne Interna…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rising_(festival)
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 8: “we see performer Xana Novais have her cheeks perilously stretched by hooks”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding performer Xana Novais or the specific action of having cheeks stretched by hooks.
verified
Claim 9: “Holzinger’s piece starts in 1816, known as “the year without a summer”, as the sun in many parts of the world was blacked out by Indonesian volcanic ash.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Multiple authoritative sources confirm 1816 is known as 'the year without a summer' due to the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The summerless year of 1816 came after the eruption of Mount Tambora, the Indonesian volcano that violently exploded in April 1815 and sent clouds of ash into the atmosphere that blocked sunlight and …
https://allthatsinteresting.com/year-without-a-summer
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The following year, 1816, became known as “The Year Without a Summer”—a time of bizarre weather, famine, and total chaos. Even though this sounds like the beginning of a dystopian novel, it actually h…
https://www.maloriesadventures.com/blog/mount-tambora-how-on…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — They called the year 1816 – the year without a summer. This 19th-century disaster, played out during 1816 when the weather in Europe and North America entered a volcanic winter with widespread crop fa…
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/markets-by-sector/agricul…
info
Claim 10: “The first solo, initially danced by Doherty and magnificently performed here by Ryan O’Neill”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail that Ryan O'Neill performed the first solo at the RISING festival is only found in one source (the review article). Other sources confirm the piece exists and was originally by Doherty, but not the specific performer for this event.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of horror films that were released in 2022. This list includes films that are classified as horror as well as other subgenres.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_horror_films_of_2022
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 10, 2026 ... The first solo, initially danced by Doherty and magnificently performed here by Ryan O'Neill, is an ode to smouldering rage and suppressed ...
https://theconversation.com/risings-international-dance-high…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — From school big up St Louise's , to the iconic Pony Dance, Maiden Voyage, Off the Rails, Hard to be soft, Ketamine Sofa, Navy blue, Specky Clark, Leather Jacket ...
https://www.instagram.com/dohertyoona/?hl=en
+ 1 more evidence source
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.