If you’ve ever wondered what impact artificial intelligence might eventually have on live performance, the future is already here.

We’re about to find out what happens when a computer is in charge of choreography, music, lighting and costumes in Forgery, a new dance work presented by Australasian Dance Collective and Queensland Performing Arts Centre in association with Brisbane Festival.

Forgery Alisdair Macindoe

Forgery. Photo © David Kelly, edited by Alisdair Macindoe

With algorithms now controlling so much of our daily lives – whether we’re conscious of this or not – the concept is an original and intriguing one for viewers of all ages, beyond the existing contemporary dance base. It will be a genuinely unique experience for the artists as well. Responding to the computer program’s commands, Australasian Dance Collective’s six dancers will be tested as never before, creating a different work at every one of the season’s 12 shows.

Forgery is quite literally the brainchild of modern Renaissance man Alisdair Macindoe, whose award-winning dance talents extend to choreography, sound design and creative coding. It’s the 38-year-old’s second production for this year’s festival, having contributed the composition/sound design for Dancenorth’s RED.

Macindoe pitched...