Dance Integrated Australia will partner with Animal Farm Collective for The Corner Dance Lab – a week-long practice-led dance laboratory in January 2014 at Federal’s Community Hall & Church. Situated in the picturesque hills on the north coast of NSW, just 30 minutes inland from Byron Bay, this brand new dance residency will inspire creative thinking and challenge stereotypes and perceptions of people with different life experience in a dance context.

Based in the heart of Federal village, it is an idyllic location for creative activity led by two of Australia’s leading dance practitioners, Philip Channells (Creative Director, Dance Integrated Australia and former Artistic Director, Restless Dance Theatre) and Gavin Webber (Co-founder of Splintergroup and Animal Farm Collective (Berlin) and former Artistic Director, Dancenorth).

This week-long dance event is suitable for people of all ages with and without disability, tertiary dance students and graduates, emerging choreographers and professional artists, physical performers, dance educators and school teachers, community arts practitioners, disability sector personnel and people who want to challenge themselves to work in an inclusive dance environment.

The program will focus on Skills Development (disability-Inclusive) and Choreographic Practice & Development. The dance workshops will comprise daily activities from Monday – Saturday with Craig Bary, Phil Blackman, Philip Channells, Kate Harman, Lee-Anne Litton, Josh Thomson and Gavin Webber including:

• stretch, strengthening and toning exercises using yoga techniques, Chi Gung and the Pilates method
• ice breaker theatre games to bond and break down social barriers between participants
• physical warm ups using contemporary dance / movement techniques to deepen an awareness of the body
• creative tasks and improvisations to generate new performance material, and
• studio showings / performances of new works-in-development offering emerging and established choreographers a platform to engage in critical dialogue with the audience.

Photo: Sean Campbell

Channells will use his work ‘Beyond Technique – searching for authenticity’ to challenge and inspire dancers to look for a new and authentic quality of movement from their own life experience. He uses contemporary dance and improvisation techniques in daily workshops to inform the beginnings of creating new movement material.

Photo: Maurice Korbel / Dancers: Josh Thomson & Gavin Webber

Through his investigations of ‘The Subtle Body’, Webber will lead daily workshops that will allow the dancer to tread across many boundaries and amalgamate many different forms and techniques, including Chi Gung, contemporary dance, floor work, yoga and theatre. The workshop will be a vibrant exchange of information with the desire to find the individual in the performer.

When:

9am – 4pm Monday 13th – Friday 17th and 10am – 8pm Saturday 18th January

Where: Jasper Corner, Federal Community Hall & Church, Federal NSW 2480

The Community Hall is an accessible venue.

For a map of Federal, click here

Cost:

Early Bird Registration: $350 waged / $300 concession

Full Registration: $400 waged / $350 concession

Note:

A two-part payment will be accepted, payments to be made by Monday 23 December 2013.

A minimum of 20 people will be required to run the program.

EARLYBIRD EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST WILL RECEIVE A $50 DISCOUNT. Earlybird closes 2 December 2013.

DEADLINE FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST MONDAY 16 DECEMBER 2013.

How do I get involved or sign up as a volunteer for the week?

Email: philipchannells@gmail.com to request an Expression of Interest form or telephone 0432 073 304.

For more information about Philip Channells click here and for Gavin Webber click here.

Main Photo: Gavin Webber