Rising Sun the only light needed in new Australian Dance Theatre work

The new production by the Australian Dance Theatre's RISE being performed at Bundanon on the NSW South Coast. (ABC Illawarra: Charles Rushforth)

The Australian Dance Theatre has premiered its new performance RISE on the NSW South Coast.

Instead of a traditional theatre space, the work is performed outdoors, using the natural light of the Sun at dawn.

There are plans to tour the production across the country within the next two years.

The Wiradjuri man, who is the first Indigenous artistic director of the Australian Dance Theatre, enjoys spending pre-dawn hours preparing meals for his children and going for long walks in the dark.

But in the wake of the failed Voice to Parliament referendum and increasingly hostile rhetoric directed at Welcome to Country ceremonies, that darkness began to take on new meaning.

"I just had this idea. What if we presented a work [where] the theatre curtain was actually the sun rising?" Mr Riley said.

The result is RISE, a contemporary dance performance that swaps the sets and lighting design of traditional theatres for the rhythm of the rising sun.

There are plans to tour the production across Australia in the next two years. (ABC Illawarra: Charles Rushforth)

"Nothing will ever equate to the beauty of watching people perform barefoot on Country, our oldest living theatres," Mr Riley said.

The world premiere of RISE was performed on Saturday at Bundanon, an art gallery on the NSW South Coast nestled into 1,000 hectares of wildlife reserve.

Managed by the Bundanon Trust, the art museum was established after renowned art philanthropists Arthur and Yvonne Boyd donated the site to the Australian government in 1993.

Orchestrated by Mr Riley and co-choreographer Brianna Kell, RISE was commissioned by Bundanon for Make Good Festival.

The piece starts with a Welcome to Country from First Nations elders, who are invited to share a performance in the form of a song or a story.

RISE starts with a Welcome to Country from the traditional owners of the land on which the work is being performed. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)

Dancers then begin their performance as the sun starts to rise, which ends as the morning breaks.

For Mr Riley, the concept was both ancient and ideal for an arts troupe battling the modern logistics of touring.

"With touring traditionally, we need a theatre, we need a production crew, we need lighting, we need sets, we need everything that goes into putting a work into a venue," he said.

Dancers with the Australian Dance Theatre performing RISE at Bundanon in the early light of dawn. (ABC Illawar