At the very heart of Finucane & Smith are performer and writer Moira Funicane and director and playwright Jackie Smith. Their creative work is distinguished by intimate and emotionally intense shows and performances, which draw from the aesthetics of silent movies and the thrill of the gothic. They invited circus artiste Azaria Universe (a student of the Moscow circus school and founder of The Candy Butchers group) and the Japanese-Australian butoh artist Yumi Umiumare (who – in addition to being one of the founders of Tokyo-based Dai Rakudakan butoh group – has developed a very specific shock ( Australia) cabaret routine) to participate in The Burlesque Hour, performed in the year 2007 at the City of Women festival. This performance, which has been staged at such venues as the Spiegeltent at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Sydney Opera House, has enraptured international audiences on a number of tours; in 2004 it received the Green Room Award, the Melbourne art scene’s most prestigious accolade.
