As part of the series finale of workshops, masterclasses and industry discussions scheduled for Dance Week WA, Dance Integrated Australia will team up with Perth-based company, Tracksuit and other emerging and professional dancers for a studio showing of Enter & Exit.

Enter & Exit – observer is performer is observer is a masterclass that is designed to encourage participants to consider the qualities they bring to their performance and improvisation techniques, what happens when you step over the line and how can you be more conscious of what’s happening to you and the people around you on stage. This workshop is inspired by the teachings of Candoco Dance Company’s founding artistic director, Adam Benjamin who I’ve had the greatest pleasure to work with a number of times in the UK & Europe. I read Adam’s book, Making an Entrance – theory and practice for disabled and non disabled dancers many years ago. This was my first introduction to his work before I traveled many years ago to Scotland, England and Wales to learn more about his practice.

Joining the creative team as Workshop / Choreographic Assistants during Dance Week WA will be local dancers, Joshua Pether and Catherine Ryan who both graduated from WAAPA’s Link Dance Company in 2012. Having studied in Brisbane at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA), Joshua (a trained pharmacist) found work with Ochre Contemporary Dance Company when he first moved to Perth and has since performed around the world. Joshua’s thesis for his Honours degree is titled, Disabled Dancers – do they have a place in the contemporary dance world? Catherine has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (dance) from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and has a strong physical theatre and dance-film interest in her work. She too has an international performance background and joins the project to enhance and broaden her knowledge of inclusive practice.

In addition to this pool of highly-motivated Western Australian emerging artists is Adelaide-based dancer, Jianna Georgiou who has worked with Restless Dance Theatre for many years. She has impressed film festival judges around the world in her award-winning performance of Sixteen from the dance film triptych, Necessary Games. Jianna is the first female dancer in Australia with a learning disability who has undertaken dance studies at a tertiary institution. She studies contemporary and composition classes at the Adelaide College of the Arts with her JUMP mentor, Lisa Heaven and the Head of Dance, Peter Sheedy. Jianna joins Dance Integrated Australia as an Associate Artist (emerging).

ENTER & EXIT

This showing is the resulting work by the participants over a 3-day period and is open to public.

When: 3pm Sunday 5th May 2013
Cost: $10.00 (waged), $7.00 (conc.)
Where: King St Arts Centre, Studio 3
Booking: click here

For more information about how to get involved in Dance Integrated Australia’s work during Dance Week WA, check out my post Tracksuit & DADAA WA, visit the Ausdance WA website or contact me for further details on philipchannells@gmail.com.

Photograph / Graphic Design by Sean Campbell