Joining the teaching team for The Corner Dance Lab 13 – 18 January 2014 is Lismore-based dancer, Phil Blackman. The week-long program will focus on Skills Development (disability-inclusive) and Choreographic Practice & Development.

The dance workshops will comprise daily workshop activities with some of Australia’s leading dance artists including: Craig Bary, Philip Channells (Creative Director, Dance Integrated Australia), Kate Harman, Lee-Anne Litton, Josh Thomson and Gavin Webber (Animal Farm Collective).

Blackman’s workshops will offer artists the opportunity to explore the ‘meeting place’ between the inner-realm of the individual, and the outer structure and presence of physical space. He uses image-based meditation as well as drawing inspiration from objects and the environments to create expressively raw movement content.

BIOGRAPHY

Phil Blackman is a choreographer and performance artist living in the Northern Rivers Region. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (2003). He has performed throughout parts of Europe and South East Asia. Recently he was an Associate Artist with NORPA (2010 – 2012) and featured in two of NORPA’s Generator works, Railway Wonderland, directed by Julian Louis (2012) and Beautiful Bones, choreographed by Brian Lucas (2012).

Blackman was invited to be a part of a Regional/City exchange program which brought him together with Martin Del Amo to present work, Songs Not To Dance To as part of Campbelltown Arts Centre’s (CAC) Oh! I wanna dance with somebody. He was one of the choreographers for Dwell: A triple bill, which saw dancers of mixed abilities collaborate under the Artistic Direction of Philip Channells / Dance Integrated Australia in collaboration with Sprung! and R.E.D. Inc. He has recently returned from CAC as an artist in residence with Martin Del Amo where they collaborated on the second stage of their exchange program.

He has facilitated workshops with Rosie Dennis – Urban Theatre Projects, Martin Del Amo – independent artist, Julian Louis – Artistic Director NORPA. He teaches weekly classes in theatre for young people and has facilitated the dance program for R.E.D. Inc over the past two and half years.

His motivation as an artist and facilitator comes from great yearning to uncover or reveal an authenticity in his work and life.

Photo: The Camera House Lismore