The Ocean Between Us is a cross-cultural movement theatre work between Indian artist Diya Naidu and Australian artist Nadia Milford. At its heart, the project asks: Who are we beyond the social categories we carry? How can we bridge the “ocean” of binaries that divide us—across race, gender, economics, and the many identities we inhabit? What might we learn if we asked the forest, or listened closely to the ocean, these forces that do not know separation as we do? 

How can we rest? 

Two women meet at the intersection of dancing and writing, the personal and the political, the forest and the city—recognising that these same divides can also become points of connection. The work invites audiences into a space where communication unfolds both spoken and unspoken, posing the quiet but urgent question: Can the body teach us how to listen again? Indeed, can the dancing body be of service? 

In their new project The Ocean Between Us, artists Diya Naidu and Nadia Milford explore a series of fundamental questions around humanity, ecology, feminism, and contemporary life. With the guiding question — “How can my dancing body be of service?” — the collaboration began as a digital residency on Instagram (@theoceanbetween_us) and has since moved into a shared studio practice.

This project is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Maitri Cultural Fund and HOTA.