From mid August till mid November 2023, our RESEARCH ROOM will be a beehive of choreographic research with seven selected artists reflecting on their past practices and/or brainstorming and consolidating ideas for their future projects.
Their areas of research cover:
- body autonomy in Jamaican dancehall
- contemporary dance scene in Sri Lanka
- safety, care, and accessibility in dance for older adults
- witchcraft and dance as ritual
- beginnings of Hip Hop dance theatre in Australia
- historical women heroines from Mesopotamia
- land based spiritual cosmologies and post-humanism
The Research Room residents are:
Lisa Crowe
Lisa’s research residency delves into the trajectory of Jamaican dancehall culture; in particular the contributions of women within this culture and their influence on the NSW dancehall scene. “By examining Jamaican women’s roles in dancehall, the research explores their approach to body autonomy and freedom of expression. The research aims for collaborations with Jamaican pioneers of dancehall and established Australian dancehall figures, offering insights into the dynamic interplay between cultures and the significant role women play in shaping and reshaping dancehall within NSW.”
Photo: Noskire Media
Vishnu Arunasalam
Vishnu will use his Research Room residency to support his intention to dedicate one day a week to his dance practice, whilst juggling a day-time job. “The space of the research room will serve as both physical and mental space to reflect on my past work and dream up future projects for myself and for Agal Dance Company. I hope to also engage and network with the peers in Southeast Asia, developing better understanding of the contemporary dance scene in my home country, Sri Lanka.”
Photo: Zan Wimberley
Diane Busuttil
Diane Busuttil, the founder and key facilitator of Creative Caring, will reflect on the work she’s been doing in a health context for older adults since 2018, as a way to refine her practice into a succinct training guide. “I will deconstruct the parameters of my choreographic thinking to develop better understanding of my practice, so that I may share this knowledge with like-minded dance artists. I will question and document the process of my work and address important aspects such as – safety, care, and accessibility. My main aim is to identify the accessibility requirements of various participants, and design accessible dance sessions based on their needs.” Creative Caring is a movement-based organization that offers dance programs for seniors (50+) that increase physical and mental health through inclusive social engagement and creative exploration.
Photo: Ryuichi Fujimura
El Waddingham
El will undergo research for a new adaptation of Euripedes’ Medea, exploring the role that witchcraft and dance as ritual has played in movements of female and queer empowerment. Using an embodied experience, theological investigation, and conduction of interviews with practising witches, they hope to emerge from the Research Room with an authentic understanding of why women have relentlessly been drawn towards magic throughout history. “This isn’t your grandma’s Medea – it’s a concoction of live ritual, dance and traditional Greek theatre, blended to create an experiential piece of performance art. It’s a deep exploration of the danger and joy of social movements. Daring, dark and divine, the piece is a reinvigoration of the classic text for anyone who’s felt the call of something greater from the ashes of the past.”
Photo: Karrine Kanaan
Nick Power
Nick Power will undertake the beginnings of an archiving project, focussing on his practice pre 2013. Over the past decade Nick has created four full length independent touring works and is looking to reconnect with the strands of his practice which have fallen away due to the all absorbing nature of creating and touring professional productions. Using the archival process as a way of combing through his practice, he will look back on this first 10 (+) years with fresh eyes, reconnecting with his time working with youth dancers, remote Indigenous communities and the Hip Hop community, teaching workshops, producing hip hop events, creating short works and mentoring young dancers. As Nick has been a leader in Hip Hop dance theatre in this country, this archive will serve as a document for Australia’s beginnings in this field.
Photo: Prudence Upton
Nebahat Erpolat
Nebahat will research historical women heroines from Mesopotamia; ultimately using this research material to develop choreographic phrases and sequences. “I will be documenting text, body movement, and language from historical and contemporary sources, theorists, and artists of Mesopotamia. Embedded in my practice is a wish to promote diversity of women choreographers (from CALD cultures), tell our stories, and contribute new forms of movement languages that enrich our performance sector in Australia. This residency opportunity means that an intercultural dance work is seen and supported.”
Photo: Osman Urper
Lux Eterna
Lux will be resolving her project The 8th Day; a multi-channel dance video work filmed out in Lake Mungo in April this year. Time and space of this residency will enable her to test various projection assemblies, revisit footage used and unused to compile auto-ethnographic reflections and research notes on the pro-social nature in which dance, embodied co-emergence, and land based spiritual cosmologies may be considered new-worlding for the post-human. The residency will culminate in an industry previewing event, prior to the work’s international premiere at the Australian Embassy in D.C, USA 2024.
Photo: Lux Eterna
Research Room Residencies are supported by Woollahra Municipal Council