Enthusiasm for connecting with creative practitioners in the Northern Rivers region continues to grow, enriching the community with fertile collaborative opportunities through a new initiative, PRACTICE AND PLAY.

What is PRACTICE AND PLAY?

A new initiative for dance in the Northern Rivers region, ‘PRACTICE AND PLAY’ is the vision of Philip Channells. This program aims to unite dance makers and creative practitioners, offering opportunities to move, dance, and create together while building connections. Combining physical activities with social interactions, it features site-specific movement workshops held outdoors or in venues like community halls, gymnasiums, and dance studios. Each session concludes with a shared meal and conversation, fostering community and creativity.

Dancer – Genki Matsuyama

The opportunity to attend PRACTICE AND PLAY attracted me due to its focus on enhancing cultural exchanges and bringing together diverse communities. As a contemporary dancer with a background in street dance, I am always seeking ways to collaborate with others and learn from different cultural perspectives. Genki Matsuyama

Event Highlights

On Saturday 27 July, 17 artists attended PRACTICE AND PLAY at the Clunes Coronation Hall, located in the charming village of Clunes in the Northern Rivers Hinterland. In addition were baby Eros, just 5 months old, and two fur babies, Chocolate Pudding Sparkle Cupcake and Brad The Junior Pitt, a delightful mother and son long-haired Chihuahua duo who are avid arts aficionado’s specialising in contemporary performance making. The group’s creative background spanned dance, circus, experimental performance, cabaret, burlesque, music, photography and construction.

Dancers – Kevin Privett, Agustin Elaskar and Josh Bond

Hailing from different cultural backgrounds including Argentinian, French, Italian, Japanese, Mexican and various Australian cultures including Bundjalung and non-Indigenous, they came together with the intention of experimenting, sharing knowledge and experience, and learning more about each other’s practices and processes as creatives.

The theme for this PRACTICE AND PLAY was experimentation. Artists were asked to share what attracted them to the workshop and what they needed to feel safe in this environment. The word of the day was ‘aleatory’, encouraging spontaneity from random sources—vinyl tracks, found and gifted objects, sounds, and repetitive, organic physical actions—to foster a sense of unexpectedness in the process.

I was attracted to how casual the whole thing sounded – that there wasn’t going to be any pressure to be ‘on’ or to have to prepare something/produce a specific outcome throughout the day. Moonshine (Paul Walker)

Participants were invited to bring an old vinyl record to the workshop, introduce themselves through a track, and explore potential creative sparks from this loose starting point. The stories shared were rich and varied: dancing all day and night as youngsters, winning dance competitions, living in Paris, questioning Blak identity in popular culture, airing personal grievances, sharing somatic practices, engaging in trance rituals with whip cracking, exploring different dance styles and cultures, recalling treasured memories, and even a rock spinning around on the record player turntable.

Josh Bond and Benja Roberts

I was attracted by the idea of collaboration and exploration with other local artists. Sharing stories and ideas on what makes art, art for arts sake. Benja Roberts

In a final choreographic task for the afternoon, the group, many of whom had never met just hours earlier, divided into three and were invited to collaborate in a creative process that blended their individual movement motifs into a cohesive expression. What emerged were three beautifully crafted pieces, each representing a physical postcard of the workshop—a testament to their newfound connections and collaborative spirit.

The reactions to the workshop’s closing question, “What will you take away with you?” highlighted just how much participants valued this experience. It underscored the importance of having a creative outlet free from the pressure of achieving specific outcomes, where they could freely play, be silly, and even fail in their investigations. This environment fostered self-reflection and bravery within a trusting, non-judgmental space, nurturing creativity and strengthening connections among creative people in our region.

Dancers – Genki Matsuyama, Diana A. Zamudio Diaz, Marianna Joslin and Moonshine (Paul White)

The highlight was the beautiful community feeling, to see others artists express themselves and work as a team was awesome and beautiful and fun!!! Diana A. Zamudio Diaz

Marruka, Vito, and baby Eros, our dynamic kitchen trio, spoilt the group with a delicious fruit platter during the break, bringing a sense of community and sharing that enriched the experience. Their gluten- and dairy-free vegetable curry was a testament to the importance of nourishing both body and spirit, highlighting how sharing food plays a crucial role in fostering connections and appreciation among participants.

Acknowledgements

Co-facilitators: Lachy Shelley and Philip Channells.

Participants: Agustin Elaskar, Alya Manzart, Benja Roberts, Diana A. Zamudio Diaz, Empress Stah Power, Genki Matsuyama, Jesse Gall, Josh Bond, Kevin Privett, Marianna Joslin, Moonshine (Paul Walker), Raphaelle Saint-Cyr, Simone O’Brien and WOJAK.

Catering: Marruka Casa De Ray and Vito Calia.

For more information about PRACTICE AND PLAY or to discuss hosting an event in your village or town, contact Philip Channells at 0432 073 304 or email philipchannells@gmail.com.

Images: Kate Holmes Photographer.

Main Image: Dancers – Diana A. Zamudio Diaz, Lachy Shelley, Agustin Elaskar and Jesse Gall.