#Main Info

The Red Tree

By Shaun Tan

Adapted by Phluxus2 Dance Collective. Commissioned by Shake & Stir for the Regional & Remote Schools Touring program.

Step into Shaun Tan’s award-winning picture book The Red Tree as Phluxus2 Dance Collective brings it to life in an evocative adaptation by choreographer Nerida Matthaei. 

Blending expressive movement, imaginative staging, and visual storytelling, this dance work follows a young girl’s inner journey where isolation, wonder, despair, and hope take shape. Inspired by the book’s symbolic imagery such as swirling waves, surreal creatures, and glowing red leaves, it shows how small moments of connection can bring light to dark days.

The Red Tree invites students to reflect on resilience, empathy, and the shared experience of emotions, while discovering how contemporary dance and physical theatre communicate powerful ideas