Interested in utilising the moving body as a creative tool?

How do you view the world through your unique lens? How does your personal, architectural and physical environment characterise and shape you as a creative individual? These two, four-hour choreographic workshops will provide the participant insight into an investigative creative process which uses text, the body and digital technology as creative tools to discover the macro and microcosms of our human existence.

In his unique workshop titled ‘Embodying Macro to Micro Workshop’ Philip will guide the participants through a process of investigation and insight in discovering your own embodiment of the world you inhabit.

Based in the NSW Northern Rivers region in a little village called Clunes, Philip  is proud to support new and emerging artists of all abilities from the local area.  The ‘Raconteurs’ project goal is to foster growth and development of the local community by providing them a platform to explore their own creative identity. It brings together creative associates from the local area including: Bere, Kimberley McIntyre & Alona Rosenberg (Mullumbimby) and Pob Sellors aka ‘DJ Pob’ (Federal). In addition to these local artists, for this inaugural project, internationally renown interdisciplinary artist, Bill Shannon aka ‘The Crutch Master’,  will travel from Pennsylvania (USA) to share his expertise in dance and interdisciplinary practice.

Every one of these artists brings to the project a sense of generosity, play and an inquiring mind, which for me is so integral when working in a creative context within the community. For artists living in regional parts of Australia, we sometimes experience a sense of disconnection from metropolitan epicentres, so its a rare opportunity for projects like ‘Raconteurs’ to occur. Process led residencies without any intended or explicit outcomes not only assists our development as creative practitioners, but it also shapes our work and leads us into some (hopefully) very unexpected territories, happening right here in our very own ‘back yard’. Philip Channells

Photo: Dmitry Shumov | Garage Museum of Contemporary Art

More info

When: 12:30 – 4:30pm Wednesday 15 & 22 November 2017.

Where: The Raconteurs Hub | Byron Bay Scout Hall, 28 Tennyson St, Byron Bay NSW 2481.

Who: This workshop is suitable for people from diverse background of any age or ability with some movement, dance and physical theatre experience. No experience of photography is needed, but an enquiring mind is.

Places limited to 10 people.

Workshop Pass (Turquoise): $80 full / $70 concession (8 hrs contact).

Participants are encouraged to bring a digital camera or phone camera to generate research material and a notepad, pen and paper. Note: Please wear comfortable clothing to move freely around in.

Photo: Sean Campbell

BIOGRAPHY

Philip Channells is the Creative Director / Producer of Dance Integrated Australia which he founded in 2013. He began his dance training in 1998 at the Northern Rivers Conservatorium in Lismore before completing his Bachelor of Dance Performance at the Adelaide College of the Arts where he performed in works by Michael Whaites, Peter Sheedy & Joanna Dudley (Australia/Germany), Prof. Xiao Xiong Zhang (Taiwan), Li Han Zhong & Ma Bo (China). Under the artistic direction of Chirssy Parrott he joined the Link Dance Company (2003) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) where he performed works by Phillip Adams (Balletlab), Kim McCarthy, Chirssy Parrott and Anna Smith.

He has gained international reputation through leadership roles in dance in Australia and the UK including: Artistic Director Restless Dance Theatre (2009 – 2012); Community & Health Artist Stopgap Dance Company (2007); Acting Foundation Course Leader Candoco Dance Company (2005).

As a regional artist living in the NSW Northern Rivers region he established The Corner Dance Lab in partnership with Gavin Webber (The Farm). Springing out of this is The Corner Residency Program which has supported the work of Dance Makers Collective,Tim Ohl, Martin Del Amo / Phil Blackman and Daniel Monks. In 2013 he produced and co-facilitated the first Beyond Technique Residency project at Bundanon Trust with Elizabeth Ryan (The Fondue Set) and has since taken this project to Finland and Russia.

He’s created collaborative performances across art forms including dance, film, community art projects, site-specific work and artist in residency projects. Some of his choreographic credits include: One Enchanted Evening (2017) for Bundanon Trust’s Siteworks; Hyperreal Tales (2016) – commissioned by Bundanon Trust; Off The Record (2016) – a collaboration with Force Majeure commissioned by Carriageworks; Behind The Faćade (2015) for The Beyond Technique Residency at Bundanon Trust; PERFECT (im)PERFECTIONS (2014) – for DansiT (Norway); Second Skin (2012 / 2013) for the Catalyst Dance Masterclass Series; Enter & Exit (2013) for Tracksuit (DADAA WA); Lythophytes & Epiphytes (2012) for the Australian Youth Dance Festival and Next of Kin – no ordinary status family (2010) for Restless Dance Theatre.

Philip is fiercely committed to the development of thriving artistic communities that integrate people from diverse age groups, backgrounds and life experience and is committed to supporting the development of sustainable practice for artists living in regional/remote centres in Australia. He has also worked in the UK, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Russia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea extending opportunities for people from diverse background and life experience to participate in and contribute to cultural activities through dance.

He is an Ambassador to Bundanon Trust’s Artist in Residence program; is an inaugural recipient of the AMP Tomorrow Makers Award and a 2017 recipient of Ausdance NSW’s Innovating Dance Practice grant program. Philip has published articles in international journals, magazines and arts in education periodicals.

More about ‘Raconteurs’

Happening in the heart of Byron Bay from 14 – 24 November 2017, this multi art-form workshop series is a creative platform designed for people from diverse background interested in performance making.

‘Raconteurs’ is a new initiative of Dance Integrated Australia which addresses the sustainability of artists living and working in regional and remote centres on the NSW North Coast and Northern Rivers region.

Contact & Registration

Register for Raconteurs and the Embodying Macro to Micro workshop, or telephone / text Dance Integrated Australia’s Creative Director / Producer, Philip Channells on +61 432 073 304 or email.

For media inquiries, telephone / text Dance Integrated Australia’s Project & Communications Manager, Sean Campbell on +61 432 714 534 or email.

The Raconteurs project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia and is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, Critical Path, Arts Northern Rivers and Byron Bay Scouts. Dance Integrated Australia is an Associate Organisation of Ausdance NSW 2016 – 2018.

Main Photo: Sam James