DAIR #ONLINE 2020

DAIR 2020

Within 10 days of COVID-19 sparking a national lockdown, Ausdance NSW’s flagship program Dance Artists in Residence 2020 (DAIR) had shifted online with the enthusiastic support of the artists involved. In the early days of the lockdown, as the shock and panic took it’s toll, 4 dancers and choreographers quietly took over our Instagram account each day revealing what dance-making looked like in lockdown. And how it felt. Culminating in a live co-sharing with Alice Weber, Emily and Amy Flannery. The sharing was conducted via zoom, and was attended by 25 people. DAIR online has begun Ausdance NSW’s exploration of ‘Dance in the Digital Realm’.

Emily Amy Flannery DAIR Funded 2020 instagram3

EMILY AND AMY FLANNERY<br />

Emily, with her collaborator and sister Amy, developed her work ‘Bulnuruwahna (Taking Flight)’ which will explore the Wiradjuri dreaming stories about the way the land was created by birds.⁠ They were able to develop the work on country at their families home. Emily was the innagural recipient of the DAIR + NAISDA First Nations Artists recidency.

Amy and I would use the time to research the stories that are the foundation and inspiration for my work Bulnuruwanha. This felt like the right course of action, given that we were able to live and research on country.

The research manifested in many ways, including creating and experimenting with props, visiting local sites like the lake and incorporating traditional women’s business such as weaving. I became aware that my practice primarily involves aspects that aren’t physical”.

It was so lovely to see two sisters work together and explore not only their work but how to adapt to an unprecedented situation such as COVID. Emily is a recipient of DityFeet’s Out of The Studio; we look forward to watching both her and her sisters creative practise unfold.

Photo Credit: Image supplied by the artist, ‘Bulnuruwanha Nest Wings’ NAISDA Dance College, DAIR Funded 2020. @naisda_dance_college @emflann @amyflannery_

ALICE WEBER<br />

Alice Weber was scheduled to travel to Alstonville Dance Studio in Byron Bay, due to COVID-19 she completed her residency at home, and was mentored by Giselle Stanborough and collaborated with artists Monika Blaszczak, Vanessa Goodman, Ileana Cheladyn and Alexa Wilson in a series of recorded conversations.

“I was interested in finding a possible boundary of what might be considered ‘choreographic’, and testing (successfully or unsuccessfully) if this work qualifies. I was not concerned with ideas of what choreography ‘should’ look like, which was essential freedom in this line of enquiry.”

Alice recorded a podcast during her residency with Monica Blaszczak as part of ‘Ausdance In Conversation…’ which can be heard here>>>

Photo Credit: Image supplied by the artist, taken in her backyard, Alstonville Dance Studio DAIR Funded 2020. @alstonvilledancestudio

Elle Evangelista DAIR Funded 2020 instagram2

ELLE EVANGELISTA @ ROYAL ACADEMY OF DANCE

Elle Evangelista completed a 2-week residency at the Royal Academy of Dance Australia with mentor Matt Cornell. She used the time to create her new solo work 30THIRTY which was to premiere as part of The Flying Nun by at Brand X.

“30THIRTY is 30 x 1-minute solos performed in succession, followed by 1 x 30-minute solo. The stimulus for 30 x 1-minute solos will come from inviting a curated list of 30 people to write me a birthday wish on my birthday (in January).”

The Flying Nun was unable to go ahead due to COVID; we look forward to seeing her performance as soon as we can!

Photo Credit: Image taken by photo Luke Currie-Richardson, the Royal Academy of Dance Australia DAIR Funded 2020. @RoyalAcademyofDanceAustralia

“I was interested in finding a possible boundary of what might be considered ‘choreographic’, and testing (successfully or unsuccessfully) if this work qualifies. I was not concerned with ideas of what choreography ‘should’ look like, which was essential freedom in this line of enquiry.”

Alice recorded a podcast during her residency with Monica Blaszczak as part of ‘Ausdance In Conversation…’ which can be heard here>>>

Photo Credit: Image supplied by the artist, taken in her backyard, Alstonville Dance Studio DAIR Funded 2020. @alstonvilledancestudio

EMILY @ AMY FLANNERY NAISDA INAUGURAL FIRST NATIONS DAIR

Emily, with her collaborator and sister Amy, developed her work ‘Bulnuruwahna (Taking Flight)’ which will explore the Wiradjuri dreaming stories about the way the land was created by birds.⁠ They were able to develop the work on country at their families home. Emily was the innagural recipient of the DAIR + NAISDA First Nations Artists recidency.

Amy and I would use the time to research the stories that are the foundation and inspiration for my work Bulnuruwanha. This felt like the right course of action, given that we were able to live and research on country.

The research manifested in many ways, including creating and experimenting with props, visiting local sites like the lake and incorporating traditional women’s business such as weaving. I became aware that my practice primarily involves aspects that aren’t physical”.

It was so lovely to see two sisters work together and explore not only their work but how to adapt to an unprecedented situation such as COVID. Emily is a recipient of DityFeet’s Out of The Studio; we look forward to watching both her and her sisters creative practise unfold.

Photo Credit: Image supplied by the artist, ‘Bulnuruwanha Nest Wings’ NAISDA Dance College, DAIR Funded 2020. @naisda_dance_college @emflann @amyflannery_

Emma Harrison DAIR Funded 2020 instagram10

EMMA HARRISON @ ACPE

Emma Harrison completed her 1-week residency at the Australian College of Physical Education, developing her work ‘Let them eat it,’ mentored by Kay Armstrong.

“Through exploration and integration of various art forms, I will begin to develop an interdisciplinary work inspired by the overtly decadent and publicly scrutinised queen of France, Marie Antoinette.

A victim of cultural misogyny and turned into the scapegoat/product of the French Revolution, she was wrongly pinned as a vision of indulgence and lewd behaviour far unbefitting of a queen.

This new dance work will unpack the French monarch and look to present her life as a series of transitions – temporal, spatial, physical and psychological. I will look at her life as she advanced through stages of development – these being independence, sexual initiation, marriage and motherhood and offer them as observations into myself as a female but also to women as a whole.

My objective is to use movement, media and text/sound to translate these evolutions, to explore the context of female identity and the intricacies of her life and scrutiny and viscerally present them.”

After viewing Emma’s well developed and researched work for DirtyFeet, we look forward to supporting Emma with her future development. Helping our young artists is an integral part of sustaining dance practise in NSW.

Photo Credit: Image supplied by the artist, The Australian College of physical education DAIR Funded in 2020. @theacpe @kay_arm_strong

SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS – INSTAGRAM TAKEOVER WITH EMILY & AMY FLANNERY SOCIAL

DAIR #ONLINE SHARING – ZOOM

To view the full list of DAIR 2020 recipients please click here>>>

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. ⁠

AUSDANCE NSW

Ausdance NSW is the key support & advocacy body, for the creation, presentation and practice of dance in NSW.

Ausdance NSW is part of the Ausdance National Network.

Ausdance acknowledges and respects the Traditional Custodians of the Lands on which we work and dance and pays respect to elders past, present and emerging.