Asia TOPA: Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts returned in February 2025 with a three-week festival of performance, art and culture bringing together artists, audiences and communities to experience world-leading creativity and new ideas from the Asia-Pacific.

Turning World’s Tam Nguyen was Senior Curator of Asia TOPA and the festival presented the work of 410 artists and collectives from 17 countries, 18 of which were new commissions, in over 1000 performances and events, across 20 venues, to an audience of 750,000.

The 2025 program streams were Performance, Nightlife and Knowledge and the festival opened with Milestone “a stunning meditation on time, loss, and the enduring beauty of human connection” (Australian Art Review) performed by William Yang and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Dance works included the “futuristic epic” U>N>I>T>E>D (★★★★ ArtsHub), and “intriguing” Gapu Ngupan (★★★★ The Age).

Theatre works featured the “ferociously funny” Blak, Brechtian, A Nighttime Travesty (★★★★ ArtsHub), “flawless” One Day We’ll Understand (★★★★★ ArtsHub), and work for young audiences and their families such as the “tender and playful” Goldfish (★★★★★ The Age).

Music works included the “cyber-opera that deserves the world stage” Opera for the Dead (★★★★★ ArtsHub) and the festival closing performance – the “subtle, beautiful, and brilliant all at once” (★★★★★, Limelight) collaboration between the Australian Art Orchestra and Papua New Guinea’s Tatana Village Choir, Ane Ta Abia.