A powerful new dance work by Wiradjuri artist Joel Bray will premiere as part of RISING 2025, with performances running from 3 to 15 June at Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall.

Titled Monolith, the production features five Brown women who present themselves as both obstacle and resistance to colonising power - evoking the endurance of ancient rock formations that remain unyielding in deforested and urbanised landscapes.

Mr Bray said the work honours generations of protest and rebellion, drawing from the strength and silence of Elders who resisted injustice.

"Our Elders sat on Freedom Ride buses and in Tent Embassies," Mr Bray said.

"They sat and endured the indignities of rotten fruit and the brutalities of arrest."

Developed through collaborative dance-making, the piece explores themes of geological time and the cadence of Country.

The work is set on a dystopian island designed by artist Jake Preval, with an original score by composer Matthias Shack-Arnott.

"As we developed 'Monolith', we spoke about our Elders' experiences, the power of silence and the act of taking up space," Mr Bray said.

"We danced together as a declaration of group power."

Monolith marks a return to ensemble choreography for Mr Bray, who is best known for immersive solo dance-theatre works such as Biladurang, Daddy, and Considerable Sexual License.

Arts House Acting Artistic Director Olivia Anderson described the work as "thought-provoking and electrifying."

"'Monolith' promises to be transformational," Ms Anderson said.

Performances of Monolith will run from 3 to 15 June as part of the RISING 2025 program.

Tickets are available now, via BLAKTIX from $25.