in|FORM for the Queensland Dance Sector
Issue #1, 2019
Contents
Green Grapes and Unicorns....................... 10 By Nerida Matthaei
Book Review............................................... 14 Welcome..................................................... 1 Creative Space........................................... 15 Get QLD Dancing....................................... 2 National Advocates of Arts Education...... 16 Contribute to IN/FORM............................. 3 ADQ – Travel & Training Opportunity 2019 A Cowboy in Europe.................................. 4
Hofesh Shechter Masterclass.................... 18
By Michael Smith Touring is Fundamental.............................. 20 Community Engagement:
By Jacob Watton
not just a workshop................................... 6 By Erika Goldsmith
Lady Gaga.................................................. 22 By Courtney Scheu
Your body is your temple.......................... 8 By Catherine Mullins
ADQ – Seed Residency 2019 Treading Traces.......................................... 24
Welcome from the Executive Director Welcome to our very first edition of IN/FORM We are pleased to bring to you Ausdance Queensland’s online publication. So, what is IN/FORM? Well... remember our much-loved Metro Moves magazine? And Ausdance National’s Brolga? IN/FORM is kind of like that. A place for ideas, provocations, research, news and articles. Part magazine, part interactive Instagram feed. A one stop shop for all things dance in Queensland. At the heart of IN/FORM is our sector. This is the place to muse over ideas, to cultivate critical discourse, to reflect on society and consider the environs in which we work, to share YOUR thoughts, YOUR learnings, YOUR dreams. It will be filled with you. So please don’t be shy or worry you will ‘rock the boat’ of our dance ecology. No idea is too radical or too big. No submission is too small or niche. IN/FORM is for you. We have big dreams of being fancy with dynamic content, with an app like the New Yorker and a trendy curated social feed like Mous magazine alongside a library of Arts Podcasts and reviews of Dance + Media work but we are starting small and growing with each edition. So please bare with us as we experiment with form, content and delivery. We even have our brains thinking about Community
Kate Usher Ausdance QLD Executive Director
Editors, a Publications Producer and special members only sections for bonus content. So, if any of this sounds like something you would be interested in developing with us please get in touch! We want to hear from you! We look forward to receiving your submissions and crafting this online publication with and for our sector. 1.
Get QLD Dancing!
A 2 day convergence to explore inclusivity, access and participation in dance
Over two days we are bringing together dance practitioners and community specialists to move and talk about how we can get more Queenslanders dancing. The convergence will cover 5 focus areas to discuss inclusivity, access and participation; LGBTIQAP+, OLDER PEOPLE & INTERGENERATIONAL, CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse), SENSORY & MOBILITY. Dance practitioners are invited to explore how to make their practice more accessible to diverse communities and how to develop their practice for specific populations. Other practitioners will have the opportunity to build their knowledge of the social and health benefits of participation in dance and how they can incorporate dance into their practice. It is important to acknowledge the complexity of people’s lived experiences and recognise that these focus areas are broad, overlap considerably and may apply to individuals in different ways and at different times across their life. LGBTIQAP+ - This focus area considers people who identify with a wide range of terms including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) and more.
OLDER PEOPLE & INTERGENERATIONALITY – This focus area considers
people of a chronological age of 65 and upwards as well as the concept of Intergenerationality and interaction between people of different generations.
CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) – This focus area considers
people from culturally and linguistically diverse background and communities from which English is not the main language and/or cultural norms and values differ.
SENSORY – This focus area considers people with sensory disabilities or impairments that affect one or more of a person’s senses: touch, hearing, sight, taste, smell, or spatial awareness. This can include a range of neurodiversity such as Autism and ADHD, as well as mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and PTSD. MOBILITY – This focus area considers people with total or partial loss of bodily function, such as wheelchair users, people with physical disabilities or injuries, and other illnesses that affect mobility such as chronic fatigue and arthritis. These sessions will be co-facilitated by dance practitioners and community partner representatives to generate meaningful discussion and experiential learning around each focus area. Overall this convergence will work to foster partnerships, develop a shared language and inform dance participation strategy moving forward. Knowledge built from ‘Get QLD Dancing’ will feed into a dedicated issue of Ausdance Qld’s publication IN/FORM and the creation of a database for dance participation opportunities.
FIND OUT MORE
WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT IN/FORM? Call out for IN/FORM submission November 2019, Issue #2 Have you got: •
A big idea
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A framework of practice to share
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Future Visioning on the Future of Dance in Australia
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A provocation
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A challenge
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A Call to Action
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Findings from research
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A case study
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A review (performance, podcast, film, book centred around Dance)
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A travel experience
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A touring outcome
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A funding discussion
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A success story
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An audience engagement strategy
Do you work across: DANCE… okay let us be more specific: in, with and for communities, independent practice, in education, in an institution, with solo practice, in new work development, for a company, as a freelancer, in commercial dance, in cultural dance, in health & science, in recreation, in contemporary practice, in a collective, as a studio owner, as a venue manager, as an agent, as a producer… have we left anyone out? IN/FORM is a place to capture the Sector’s work, and we want to hear from you! Submit your articles here.
Top 5 Instagram’s We’re following @abtoffical AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
@mindful_mending SUSTAINABLE FASHION
@museumofbrisbane MUSEUM OF BRISBANE
@amrita_moves AMRITA HEPI - First Nations choreographer & dancer
@claireandpearl CLAIRE CHRISTIAN - Writer & Director
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A COWBOY IN EUROPE
By Michael Smith - Brisbane Independent Artist Solo work: The intense grind of self-reflection, personal truths and vulnerable pursuits. Combined with overwhelming gratification of discovery, of being met, of sharing, seeing and being seen by your audience. I am writing this having just arrived back from performing a solo work ‘Cowboy’ in Europe. ‘Cowboy’, while on the surface may seem like fun and games (surfing trains, riding horses and wandering the desert) is a deeply personal work, embedded in the attempt to have complete, genuine 4.
and meaningful experiences as an imagined self. By committing entirely to the iconography of a cowboy, I seek to expose desires and vulnerabilities that exist in our pursuit to form identity. ‘Cowboy’s origin of conception is very much Queensland. Initially seeded while bush-walking through Central
Queensland, it was then developed and supported by Brisbane’s ‘The Angry Mime’, South Bank’s ‘Flowstate’ and The FarmHouse Residency, with collaborators and friends who I respect, admire and trust whole-heartedly. So it wasn’t until I was about to present ‘Cowboy’ in Berlin, standing alone in a janitor’s closet of a school sports hall, that I realised this is the first time sharing ‘Cowboy’ with people I did not know, across cultures, across continents, across languages. It was like jumping into the darkness with a lasso and a cowboy hat. However, due to the highly interactive nature of the work, it quickly became obvious what is at the heart of the piece - our want and need for genuine, honest and meaningful connection. It didn’t matter that I was turning people into saloon doors, taking them for rides on my ‘horse’, falling in love or fighting with them. What mattered is that the attempt is real and the fantasy is felt. For me, this kind of interactive, performative approach requires absolute
presence and an ability to listen - to be with the self and others simultaneously. While touring ‘Cowboy’ in Europe over two months, this approach became more than a performative tool. It seeped into my everyday practice. I met with people, experienced different cultures and worlds, listened to stories and created lasting relationships across Berlin, Brussels, Spain and Ukraine. Amidst the whirlwind of new experiences, ‘Cowboy’ became an anchor - a consistency in a transient lifestyle to check-in and reflect. A companion. The work adapted and changed along the way, each show being an entirely different and new experience dependent on the location and those who interact. It was performed for both adults and children, in schools, auditoriums, sports halls and public squares. It’s almost ironic that ‘Cowboy’ began as a reflection on my experiences growing up a Queer male in Central Queensland, feeling at times isolated, confused, cut off from social norms - to transform into a piece that demands so much openness and connection. We all figure out how to get through this awkward fantasy together. This is something that exists across cultures.
A huge thank-you to The Farm, TanzZeit, AGITART Festival, Ashleigh Musk, Liesel Zink, Arts Queensland and Brisbane City Council for your trust and support. Image by Anne Moffet - Dance Massive Site-Responsive Showcase
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: not just a workshop. By Erika Goldsmith ADQ Dance Development Officer The increasingly open ears of funders and decision-makers to the words ‘community engagement’ is a good thing. However, as artists, arts organizations and companies shift to include this in their work and strategy, it is important in our day-to-day business as arts makers to engage in ongoing conversation and reflection. What is community engagement, and how exactly do we go about it? Meaningfully engaging the community you want to share your art with can enable some truly exceptional moments and lasting impacts. It is an opportunity to foster new understandings and connections, and ultimately facilitate lived experiences of art that can change an individual, change a community, change the world. Big stuff right?!
be tokenistic, damaging and a waste of resources. I distinctly remember an early formative experience of delivering a community arts program in Timor-Leste during which I failed to appropriately connect with the community I was visiting and develop an understanding of what they would like the program to include. I had assumed that my groups abstract physical theatre workshop alone would be our offering for the exchange, so that is what we worked on. On arrival however we were presented with rehearsed performances from the local dance groups and then promptly handed the floor for our group to share something that we had prepared. Alas as the entire community looked on, this oversight saw us performing a poorly rehearsed hip-hop routine choreographed for a friend’s house party with no music, as
To enable these memorable moments, approaches that empower the community and honour their knowledge and agency are required – something which can often sit a bit outside the understood ‘toolkit’ of artists and arts workers. Whilst there is possibility for incredible outcomes that enrich art, culture and society, less successful community engagement can 6.
Highly Visual Exercise: A dance for well-being program with our State Emergency Services, Brisbane Unit.
Bedroom Reminiscing: Reconnecting 2 years post project with female artists in Timor-Leste to talk about the impact of an arts project focused on women’s empowerment through arts and media.
this was the best we could do impromptu. Amusing in retrospect but at the time an embarrassing learning curve that had me feeling foolish for the assumptions I had made and sorry for what was potentially a missed opportunity to engage more meaningfully with our hosts. Since then I have channelled considerable energy into developing a robust community development framework around my arts practice, grounded in principles of empowerment, inclusion, self-determination, human rights and collective action. As a dancer primarily, I have been struck by how these principles require embodiment to be realised and the remarkable possibilities for dance to contribute to this. A revival of community development practice to engage communities in contemporary arts has as much relevance to mainstream and high art practice as is does to community arts.
I think it is important to clarify that audience engagement is not community engagement, but that if you do community engagement well there is capacity to reach new audiences. Considering the community from the very inception of the work or programming rather than as a layer on top can support deeper understanding, increased accessibility and participation, leading to potential audience growth. Surely we endeavour to make art that resonates with people? This peoplefocused making process can inject a richness and power into our work – so let’s go to the people as part of the process for their benefit and ours. As the Dance Development Officer at Ausdance Qld my remit is to look at how to increase participation in dance across Queensland, and I know for sure that my first stop needs to be the people! 7.
YOUR BODY IS YOUR TEMPLE By Catherine Mullins Physiotherapist The life of a dancer isn’t always easy or consistent. There are semi-regular professional classes, auditions popping up sporadically, contracts that can last from one week to several months, jobs that have you on the road and living out of suitcases and periods of side jobs to keep the income flowing. Dancers are an amazing population to work with (speaking as an ex-dancer and a physiotherapist) – they are diligent, body aware and are always looking to develop.
In this industry your biggest asset is your body and your greatest strength is keeping your body happy. This includes regular classes, strength work, cross training but also recovery. The best type of recovery is simple, specific and consistent! One of the best recovery tools we use with our clients are muscle releases. Muscle releases can be used to decrease tension and discomfort in muscles, increase range of motion, enable better motor control and muscle activation and enhance overall performance. All you need is a trigger ball and the floor or a wall! 8.
Our two most commonly prescribed releases are the glutes and infraspinatus. Glute releases include all glute muscles (gluteus maximus, medius, minimus) plus the deep external hip rotator muscles. Infraspinatus is one of the rotator cuff muscles at the back of your shoulder blade, it works to help move the arm but also stabilise the shoulder joint. Using a smooth trigger ball, lean up against the wall and find a tender spot in both your glutes and infraspinatus. Keep the pressure sustained for 60-90 seconds for 3-4 spots per muscle group. This technique can be used for majority of the muscles in the body – have a play and find the ones that are best for your body!
When travelling or touring it’s important to take all your recovery tricks with you. Pack your trigger ball, stay hydrated by taking your own water bottle, stick to a normal sleep routine and take your own pillow whenever possible! Spend 10-15 minutes at the beginning and end of your day doing your releases and muscle activation exercises. Keep your body consistently happy and it’ll be ready to perform when you need it to. We recommended having a health professional on your team to work out the best strategies for your body to avoid injury and keep you at your peak.
If you have any questions specific to your body and dance demands, come visit the team at Barefoot Physiotherapy and we’ll work with you to get your feeling and moving great!
Ausdance QLD members receive a 15% discount on all Barefoot Physiotherapy. 9.
Green Grapes and Unicorns – GPS tracking for contemporary dance Tetris.
Between February and April 2019 Phluxus2 Dance Collective toured the contemporary dance installation piece ‘angel-monster’ to Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. This is a reflection by Artistic Director and ‘angel-monster’ choreographer Nerida Matthaei on touring independent work. Fuel Tank – Avocadoes, rice cakes, green grapes, coffee and ‘guys Oliver’s is awesome!’ Always take your time researching accommodation. You can often get your price range and it be nice – just take the time to delve into the web (I’ve spent enough years staying Maps and Unleaded E10 - It will take in questionable accom – no longer she you time to plan, make connections, says). I often ask for a discount and generate partners, secure funding and rarely don’t get it - be nice. People love build a tour independently. Don’t rush nice. Don’t bother it. Currently, funding getting accom near for out of state touring 3 venues, 15 supporting the beach. Let’s be is very hard to come organisations, 9 workshops, real – you will be by, so this will need 3 accommodations, 2 funding in the theatre 24/7 to be self-reliant and partners, 5 performances… and you won’t even self-funded. Ouch – thank you Tetris see it! yes… but make it worth (Thank you UNSW it. Figure out how to and March Dance ‘guesstimate’ budgets bump in, perform and bump out in less realistically - you will be in the red but than 48hrs! #goteam) if you knew it was coming and it even comes in slightly under the red (but still Road Blocks - Things will go wrong, red – so let’s say a deep orange) your be calm and find a creative solution planning has worked. Have an excellent, - flooding venues, social media bans detailed and accurate schedule. Be (thank you facebook - not) and realistic but dream big… scratching the van (get the extra vehicle insurance, ouch). Remember your tour van is probably huge, so when you get stuck in the side alley of a local dance After three weeks of a final development, our team of 7 squished into a Hyundai iMax and headed down the M1. Here is a brief GPS tracking of our fun, intense and enriching adventure;
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studio (thank you Catapult Dance!) stay calm, you’re only a 372 point turns away from getting out plus you have a whole team to direct you and move the pot plants out of the way! Take the Scenic Route - connect with community, take time to deliver workshops, catch up with old and new industry friends, infiltrate the local community and ask for help with promo. Take the time to meet your audiences, provide some catering after so you can chat and meet people (a bowl of fries and some pinot goes a long way). Touring is an opportunity to make contact with industry friends who you haven’t seen for a long time. Networks and community are everything.
Cruise Control - conserve energy and take turns driving, cooking, teaching... it was epic to say the least. Work out together, watch RuPaul together, cook for each other, lend your amazing snuggle head (Jill), have sing-a-longs (Bohemian Rhapsody was a Newcastle highlight), take turns at making hilarious insta stories, work hard and celebrate hard (well kinda), always thank each other because everyone is there mostly for the love.
cont...
Nerida Matthaei and dancers
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2413 km, 27.5 driving hours, 5 dancers, 1 choreographer, 1 production coordinator, 7 bags, 1 giant fan, 7 hanging ova, 11 sand bags, 6 yoga mats and hundreds of pieces of second hand clothing in 1 van… thank you Tetris. Wildlife - Producers are like unicorns, they are hard to obtain as an indie but OMG they make the world beautiful (thank you Sandi Woo)! Your team is important, you all need to believe in each other and in the work, because the energy required is more than a pay check (thank you Hsin-Ju Ely, Essie Horn, Lauren Graham, Lauren Sherlock, Chiu-Ju Wang and Teegan Kranenburg). If you can, have your Mum at box office. Why? Because she is your biggest fan! Who doesn’t need that kind of support when you’re about to vomit from nerves!? It helps to have grounding.
on-going relationships, everyone will be taking some kind of risk and longevity is key (thank you UNSW Studio One, March Dance, QL2, Ausdance ACT, Supercell Festival of Contemporary Dance, Brisbane Powerhouse and Ausdance QLD). Of course, touring is a goal for a creator. Sharing your work with different communities is important to providing longevity to the art and building/sustaining relationships across the country. In the earlier days of Phluxus we would tour work outside of Brisbane around once a year – in recent years, due to funding scarcity and cuts to venue programming, we have not toured our last two works. The preparation for this tour took around one year of administration and around 3
Attractions - Collaboration with local organisations to help generate new audiences and bolster your work with local backing. This is ultimately why you are on the road. Do your research, have conversations. It’s important to find the right venue and the right partners for the work. Be committed to 12.
Goodnight angel-monster
years of saving to build a base budget.
On the road
Sudoku - Give yourself something to do during the show. My nerves are way worse when I’ve made a work and then have to just watch it happen rather than be in it too – nothing to do now… so rather than being a ball of nerves and standing with tense blank face in the corner (or hiding out the back with a whiskey), go pull a rope or 7. Drop a Pin - Reflect on what can be learnt for next time. The workshop delivery was tiring amongst our schedule, but it was enriching to share our practice and important for generating an audience and future connections. Audiences outside of Brisbane were not completely prepared for an installation experience, be ready to work on the fly to prepare and learn from different audiences. People are awesome – we felt a lot of support from audiences which made it all worth it. Fill up your tool bag with new learnings for next time. Now let’s plan a 2020 remount.
Thank you to the creative team, all supporting organisations and funding bodies who made this tour a possibility. Creative Team – Nerida Matthaei, Sandi Woo, Hsin-Ju Ely, Essie Horn, Lauren Graham, Lauren Sherlock, Chiu-Ju Wang, Teegan Kranenburg, Keith Clark, Andrew Milz and Rozina Suliman. Supporting Organisations – Mad Dance House, Harbour Performing Arts Centre, Catapult Dance, UNSW, March Dance, Ausdance NSW, BOLD Festival, QL2, Ausdance ACT, Canberra Dance Theatre, Dance Development Centre, Canberra College, Merici College, Supercell Festival of Contemporary Dance and Brisbane Powerhouse. Funding Bodies – Arts Queensland and Ausdance Qld. Thank you to Andrew Meadows, Andrew Milz and The Good Room for lending us equipment.
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Book Review Breathing for Peak Performance by Eric Franklin
Reflection by ADQ member Courtney Scheu
Author, Eric Franklin, the director and founder of the Institute for Franklin Method in Wetzikon, Switzerland with 35 years’ experience as a dancer and choreographer. Franklin has spent 30 years investigating ideas and exercises of breath. This book focuses on improving breathing function to better utilise the breath and therefore energy production and performance. The book features information on the anatomy of the breath and 35 exercises. These exercises combine movement, imagery and self-touch to produce the maximum positive impact on your breathing. Here, Franklin discusses the function of the diaphragm, rib cage, abdominals and pelvic floor with clarity and diagrams, including simple exercises that have clear application to daily life and performance.
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I plan to implement exercises from this book in my personal practice as well as in my dance and Yoga teaching practice. I particularly like the “Shaking the Diaphragm” exercise (ph 13, 2019) and “Lengthening your Diaphragm” (pg 19, 2019).
Breathing for Peak Performance is available alongside many other useful resources from Human Kinetics. Ausdance QLD members receive a 20% discount on titles in their range when purchased from the Footprint books website.
BRISBANE ARTISTS OPEN A BRAND-NEW CREATIVE EVENTS SPACE Brisbane’s premier creative space; Cupo owned by two successful Brisbane artists; Leah Tilney (Elements Collective) and Trent Wildman (DJ Cutloose) opened doors in 2014 as a Creative Space and Events Venue. After years of success, May 2019 saw them take on a new chapter opening doors to their brand-new ground floor space Concept; a Cafe / Bar and multi-venue creative events space. This new venture has seen them launching one of Brisbane’s first independent multi-level, multi-venue performance & rehearsal spaces with 3 separate rooms. Leah tells us a bit about the adventure…. We found the need for a versatile creative events space growing with our venue Cupo (which has been in operation since 2014) so we took
advantage of an opportunity to expand downstairs and open our new space ‘Concept’. With some renovation hurdles in the early fit out stage, we pushed to get the space ready to launch in-line with the Anywhere Festival (May 2019). Our current renovations have been completed for stage 1 - its open, looks great & is operational - but we have exciting plans for stage 2 renos with beautiful bay windows in the cafe/bar area for a social hang out space along with more internal cosmetic upgrades. We want the venue to feel welcoming for anyone to use whether it be for a quick coffee and email check, through to hosting major events. Head over to 17 McLachlan Street, Fortitude Valley to check it out!
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NATIONAL ADVOCATES FOR ARTS EDUCATION ‘We advocate for all Australian students to have access to all five Arts subjects throughout their primary and secondary schooling. We advocate for increased professional learning opportunities for primary school teachers—supporting them to effectively teach The Arts and improve student academic and non-academic outcomes in Arts and non-Arts areas’
The National Affiliation of Arts Educators – now the National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) – was established in 1989 with the support of the Joint Council of Cultural and Education Ministers. It advocates for arts education in schools, develops arts education policy, promotes quality teaching and learning in the arts, and works with government agencies, teachers, schools and tertiary institutions. As the recognised peak association in the arts learning area, the NAAE provides access to an extensive network of arts educators and artists, and represents the interests, concerns, values and priorities of arts educators across Australia. Its members are:
NAAE’s broad and targeted scope of advocacy has led to key submissions and face-to-face meetings with federal and state ministers, education departments and arts funding agencies to promote quality arts education. Examples that highlight key strategic action include the following NAAE submissions (all found at naae.org.au): •
The Arts: essential learning for all teachers
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Submission to the Inquiry into innovation and creativity: workforce for the new economy; Gonski Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools.
Music Australia
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NSW Curriculum Review.
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA)
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The Arts in the Early Years Learning Framework.
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Art Education Australia (AEA)
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Australia Dance Council – Ausdance
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Australian Society Education (ASME)
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Australian (ATOM)
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Drama Australia
• •
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The strength of the NAAE lies in its united voice for all five art forms in the curriculum, at the same time ensuring that each art form is acknowledged as a separate subject with its own curriculum and achievement standards, histories, language, traditions, content and pedagogies.
Teachers
for
Music
of
Media
•
Innovation and creativity: Inquiry into innovation and creativity: Workforce for the new economy.
Recent actions include: •
Advice to the ALP on its Creative Australia arts and cultural policy.
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Meetings with decision makers from all political parties and agencies advocating for arts education policies.
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Negotiation with the National Library of Australia to develop an archival catalogue of NAAE records (back to 1989).
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, NAAE has developed a new plan for future action, identifying five key strategies of advocacy, research, collaboration, communication and governance. NAAE is also creating a
new website to be launched – along with the 2019 edition of More than words can say: A view of literacy through the arts – during UNESCO’s International Arts Education Week (2026 May). NAAE celebrates collegiality across art forms while maintaining the integrity of individual art forms. The NAAE website, media releases and regular Facebook postings are key communication strategies that provide members across the national arts organisations with the latest information and pertinent links to arts education research nationally and internationally. Sue Fox (Ausdance representative) Jeff Meiners (Ausdance representative) Julie Dyson (Chair, NAAE)
2019 NAAE representatives: John Nicholas Saunders (Drama Australia) Roger Dunscombe & Derek Weeks (ATOM), Linda Lorenza (Music Australia), Julie Dyson (Chair), Sue Fox (Ausdance), Margaret Baguley (AEA), Jeff Meiners (Ausdance), Antony Hubmayer (ASME), Mary Mooney (Drama Australia). Missing is Esther Anatolitis (NAVA).
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Ausdance QLD: Travel & Training opportunity 2019
HOFESH SHECHTER MASTERCLASS Ausdance QLD is proud to help and support our Independent sector. This year we were able to support one dancer to get all the way to Perth to participate in STRUTS Hofesh Shechter Masterclass. The wonderful recipient was Nadia Milford, below she offers her insights of the experience. As an independent artist I’m always looking for ways to connect creatively with other artists so when I saw an advertisement in Ausdance QLD’s fortnightly newsletter to participate in a Hofesh Shechter Masterclass I didn’t hesitate. Part of Ausdance QLD’s Travel and Training Program, the two-week intensive with Strut Dance held in May this year provided high intensity training and the chance to blend my energy and skill with artists from across Australia and New Zealand. It was an exciting challenge to be immersed in the daily physical and mental demands of working in the Shechter company. The experience provided valuable learnings in Shechter’s powerful repertoire that I’m now applying to my own diverse movement language. I was inspired by long-standing Shechter dancer Hannah Hulford, and her distinctive use of energy. Despite a considerable amount of improvisation in the repertoire, the dancers remained unified through a common ‘energy’ which resonated with the audience. This impact is something I am exploring in my own practice. If you’re a dancer looking to apply for the Ausdance QLD’s Travel and Training program, it’s important to consider the opportunities that exist outside your current dance practice as well as appreciate the advantages offered within your arts community at home. Here’s a list of my top reasons to go travel and my top reasons to stay home, which I hope you will find helpful.
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Reasons to Go:
Reasons to Stay:
• Gain exposure to new ideas and foreign concepts
• Have the time and space to apply the new learnings to your unique practice
• Gain insights into the physical and mental demands of working in a renowned company • Gain a deeper understanding of the processes that drive international success • Train and create alongside a range of artists from diverse backgrounds • Build connections and discover how others navigate this industry • Broaden your experience of Australia’s independent dance scene • Challenge yourself in a highly skilled environment • Receive valuable learnings to develop and enrich your personal practice
• Receive support from your local community enabling you to feel confident in taking risks • Extend your practice by skill sharing within your community (I’ve learnt Latin dance, acrobatics, film, visual art and theatre - acting, roving and puppetry) • Regularly attain studio space and small platforms for your work, and receive feedback • Obtain regular work opportunities via your local network and reputation: word of mouth, peer recommendations and maintained relationships with your training institution • Create collaboration opportunities with other artists from your local community
I highly recommend this opportunity to any emerging artist looking to develop their artistry and meet other independents. It’s a great chance to take a break from the familiar and immerse yourself in a fresh learning experience. Already I can see the impact of the workshops appearing in my movement language. I’m incredibly grateful for Ausdance QLD’s support which provided this opportunity.
image by Gabriele Zucca
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TOURING IS FUNDAMENTAL By Jacob Watton Brisbane Independent Artist My name is Jacob Watton. Recently myself, producer Jade Ellis and dancers, Danika Sayce, and Nadia Milford, presented two of my choreographic works at the Busan International Dance Festival in South Korea. This is the first time my works have been presented outside Australia, so naturally we were very excited to be invited. The stage was on a beach, and the performances were well attended by a generous audience.
successfully finding any avenues to seek support. We did find an incredible sponsor in Mad Dance House who supported the rehearsal/remounting. For this however, the team worked unpaid. I realise that six weeks is a tight turn around in anyone’s book, however, many (if not most) of the other acts presenting at the Festival where attached to some form of funding. The Festival wrote that this was usually the situation for international tours. My question; if we had no avenues to explore within a six-week lead time, how did other companies secure support in less lead time? I suppose the answer may be an existing relationship with funders, uninhibited by moderating timelines, or working in a different funding system setup to support the exporting of art to the international market.
From conversations with some of the other companies that presented at the festival, I came to understand that our project had been given a long lead time from approval to boarding the plane. We had six weeks. Many other companies gave the allusion to much less time. In our six weeks we spoke to 20 funding organisations, many redirecting us to funding rounds that ended well before we had received our confirmation from the Festival. To be transparent, this tour was funded internally by the team after not 20.
9 to Forever - image by FenLan Photography
9 to Forever - image by FenLan Photography
If this lead time, alongside the expectation of support from other avenues, is the norm for international festivals; what reflexivity do funding bodies in Australia have, to support international touring opportunities? I think this topic is particularly important when we recognise the role and legacy that successful international touring has played in developing dance careers in Australia. For many of Australia’s leading artists, touring has played a fundamental role in forging their credibility in the competitive Australian arts market. I make work in a context where, as an emerging independent, sometimes I have no choice but to exploit my team (their time, their artistry, their money). This is what I did to make this tour happen as I found no avenue to avoid it. I think it’s important to highlight though:
We were not unsuccessful in our application. There was simply nothing to apply for. When a career-making opportunity shows its face, what reflexivity does funding in Australia have, to support these opportunities? Resoundingly, for our circumstance and timeline, we found none. Regardless, we had by all accounts a very successful first tour at the Busan International Dance Festival. I’m excited to keep moving towards international touring, as I recognise the role it plays in the Australian cultural context. I wish that funding bodies could also acknowledge and address, the important role international touring plays in interaction with our own market.
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LADY GAGA By Courtney Scheu Brisbane Independent Artist I am an independent dance artist, predominantly based in Queensland. I have completed Yoga teacher training, a Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary Dance) and I have recently started training to become a Gaga teacher. Gaga is Ohad Naharin’s movement language and is the daily training method of Batsheva Dance Company based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
“Gaga classes are based on a deep listening to and awareness of the scope of physical sensations. While class instructions are often imbued with rich imagery that stimulates the imagination, the layering of information builds into a multisensory, physically challenging experience”
The 12-month Gaga teacher-training program immerses student teachers in daily company class with Batsheva Dance Company and the Batsheva Young Ensemble, Gaga/People classes (available to the general public), Gagadim classes (for kids) and other program workshops. There is an emphasis on a well-rounded education 22.
program, to enable student teachers to fully understand the movement language and its application across various contexts.
Through Gaga classes I have found a lot of freedom, discovery and joy in moving. I can describe my experience of Gaga classes as ongoing physical research of multi-layered tasks and imagery. By increasing the volume of listening to my body I have discovered a greater range and sensitivity to qualities such as delicacy, effort, explosive power and fantasy. I am continually unravelling habits of blocking and holding so that I may listen to the flow of information and connect to the sense of the endless possibilities.
For me, each day begins with a train ride into Tel Aviv. I then walk through Shuk Levinsky – an exotic spice market – to Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre. In class, from the studio windows, I can see the Mediterranean Sea and Jaffa Port, one of the oldest ports in the world.
Spending time in Israel to begin Gaga teacher training has provided me with the opportunity to connect with dance artists (from countries including Chile, China, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Israel), contribute to
cultural exchange, experience new international contemporary dance work and present my own work in Tel Aviv. My experiences are also informing my choreographic practice and the new work I am creating.
Undertaking Gaga teacher training has further developed my understanding of my body, enhancing my choreographic and performative practice. I have become aware that I require clarity in my own understanding and knowledge to be able to effectively articulate physical and sensational experiences. Gaga teacher training has required me to interrogate my perspectives, priorities and habits and actively examine how I engage with people. In this way, undertaking teacher training qualifications has assisted me in identifying the gap between reality and my perception of reality. Teaching supports and stimulates my arts practices while being a highly fulfilling way to give back and to share with the community.
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Ian Potter Cultural Trust.
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Ausdance QLD: SEED Residency 2019
TREADING TRACES Julie Chenery, Janet Donald, Kym Stevens and Gail Hewton, 4 long time dance colleagues and all experienced artists, were able to benefit from Ausdance QLD’s SEED opportunity in March 2019 to further develop their project Treading Traces. Through funding and/or space availability, the SEED residency offers the resources and time to develop a new creative project for dance practitioners working in community dance and facilitation spaces, which is specifically what Treading Traces and our practice is about. The initial idea for Treading Traces was conceived by Noosa based community dance practitioner, Gail Hewton who works exclusively with older people through her RIPE Dance practice. The idea was to bring together Gail, Julie, Janet and Kym to collaborate for the first time in the development and delivery of a site-specific community dance work that could be presented as part of Floating Land, the internationally renowned biennial outdoor sculptural festival held in Noosa. The SEED Residency opportunity was very timely as that’s all Treading Traces was, a seed of an idea that needed some support to allow these artists some time to dialogue together in order to further develop this initial concept. The SEED funding enabled the artists to travel from Lawnton, Sippy Downs & Cooroy to Noosa Heads, Gail’s base. On Saturday 2 March, all 4 artists met in Noosa Heads to discuss the project before travelling to potential performance locations: Noosa Rivermouth; Noosa Main Beach and Noosa National Park. On Sunday 3 March, Janet and Gail travelled to Lake Cootharaba at Booreen Point. At the site visits we discussed viability of the sites and any foreseeable logistical concerns; selected specific areas as potential performance sites; brainstormed concepts for each site including a range of themes and ideas in terms of movement, performers required, design including props and costumes, etc. On both days a volunteer photographer accompanied us to take a number of digital photos of the sites and of us moving together in these spaces that could be used for our submissions.
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We consulted with the RIPE Dance community and broader community regarding their interest in being involved in the project and received very positive responses. The SEED funding afforded us time together to clarify and develop a good overview of our vision for Treading Traces that we used for our submission to Floating Land to be considered for inclusion in the 2019 event program in October. This submission was successful and subsequently we submitted an application to Noosa Council’s RADF grant program for funding to enable the project to go ahead. We are awaiting notification. So often dance artists and practitioners do projects on the smell of an oily rag or for love. We appreciated the financial support given to us by Ausdance Qld to help the early development of Treading Traces and assist us to better formulate the concept and vision for this unique community dance project.
Noosa National Park - image by Phillip Knight
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Ausdance QLD The Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts Level 3 420 Brunswick Street Fortitude Valley QLD 4006 Phone: 07 3122 7628 admin@ausdanceqld.org.au ausdanceqld.org.au