Ausdance VIC is delighted to present Dancing Outside the FRAME—a series of workshops and a public forum—at the inaugural FRAME Festival.
Over four weekends in March, Dancing Outside the FRAME offers an extended occasion for a sector-wide exploration of what dance can potentially achieve through innovation, inclusion, collaboration and diversity. This inquisitive conversation will be headlined by leading sector voices—Phillip Adams, Caroline Bowditch, David Prakash and Dr. Priya Srinivasan. Together, our presenters deliver an intoxicating and challenging potpourri of youth, experience, achievement, and science.
The workshops are for anyone connected to dance. Dancing Outside the FRAME is an opportunity to work alongside sector leaders, who possess a powerful mix of experience and knowledge. David Prakash, Phillip Adams, and Caroline Bowditch will share their hard-earned wisdom with a broader audience to help shape a positive, exciting, accessible, and inclusive future for dance in Australia.
All sessions will be on Sunday afternoons starting on 5 March and are open to the public. Tickets are available from the FRAME Festival website. The single ticket price is $33 and FRAME pass holders get a 15 per cent discount.
A constant learning curve
We all know a somewhat mangled version of a popular aphorism about learning from history or being doomed to repeat our past mistakes. It’s a saying attributed to the Spanish philosopher George Santayana. Here’s what Santayana actually wrote in his 1905 text The Life of Reason: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
This is often taken to mean that in order to grow, we have to gain wisdom from an honest appraisal of our previous mistakes—and our successes. This is true, as far as it goes!
While we can learn much from the past, it’s important that all of us also learn from today. The knowledge we gain from our experiences in the present moment will help us be better tomorrow. To be best prepared for what lies ahead of us in life—and in dance—we have to learn from history, and from the contemporary world around us. We are all on a constant learning curve. This is the underlying philosophy of the workshop series we’re presenting at FRAME Festival.
Program
Dancing Outside the FRAME: Phillip Adams
Sunday 5 March, 1pm—3pm
Temperance Hall, 199 Napier Street, South Melbourne
The world-renowned founder and Artistic Director of Phillip Adams BalletLab, Phillip Adams, facilitates an exploration of the dance industry through movement and discussion. In a focused discussion about how dance is dynamically evolving while still holding to its origins, Phillip will share his considerable knowledge of contemporary dance gained over a career spanning 30 years of innovation, risk-taking, and international collaborations.
Dancing Outside the FRAME: David Prakash
Sunday 12 March, 1pm—3pm
WXYZ Studios, Lucy Guerin Inc, 130 Dryburgh Street, North Melbourne
Youth Arts leader in dance David Prakash is a street dancer and contemporary artist deploys his unique perspective as a working artist to combine two seemingly incompatible dance worlds. David will lead a movement workshop investigating the ability to create, consider, connect, curate, and collaborate beyond individual reality. David’s understanding of the mechanisms that allow street dance and contemporary to act as a catalyst for connection and experience in the industry will smash the stigma normally associated with having to choose a side.
Dancing Outside the FRAME: Caroline Bowditch
Sunday 19 March, 1pm—3pm
Temperance Hall 199 Napier St, South Melbourne
CEO and Artistic Director of Arts Access Victoria, Caroline Bowditch, leads a movement and creative workshop investigating the ability to consider, connect, curate, and collaborate beyond perceived limitations. Caroline will focus on accessibility in dance and how achievements of the body are not limited if the mind is on board. Caroline is an advocate and performer. Sometimes described as a “mosquito buzzing the ears of the arts industry”; she is a champion for access and inclusion.
Dancing Outside the FRAME: The Forum
Sunday 26 March, 12pm—2pm
Yarraville Community Centre, 59 Francis Street, Yarraville, 3013
An interactive panel discussion to round out our series, with Phillip Adams, David Prakash and Caroline Bowditch; facilitated by Dr. Priya Srinivasan. This final session brings together the areas of industry, inclusion, and accessibility in today’s fast-changing world of dance. After the discussion, attendees will enjoy an opportunity to connect with other dance industry professionals at a networking event, including light snacks and refreshments.
Biographical Note: Dr. Priya Srinivasan
Dr. Priya Srinivasan is a performer/choreographer/writer and Artistic Director of Sangam who lives and works in the lands of the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people in Narrm/Melbourne. Sangam under her direction has grown from a humble beginning to a recognised platform for South Asian artistic excellence featuring over 250 artists on funded platforms.
With a PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, and a former Associate Professor from the University of California, Priya is the author of the award winning book “Sweating Saris: Indian Dance as Transnational Labour.” She uses her theoretical training in intersectionality, power, critical race theory and dance to create sectoral change in the move towards equity. She has been a mentor in the ECP program at Dancehouse and was an advisor that worked towards a more equitable dance festival now called “Frame.”
Her practice is rooted in South Asian classical dance, prioritizing feminist decolonization processes, and making visible minority women’s histories. Her work has been presented internationally in major festivals and venues in USA, Europe, China, India and Australia. She has curated, choreographed and performed solo, duet, ensemble and large scale projects in partnership with Hermitage Museum Amsterdam, Berlin Wall Memorial, Rockbund Art Museum Shanghai, Dakshina Chitra and Spaces Chennai, Adishakti Puducherry, Highways Los Angeles, Bunjil Place, Artshouse, Dancehouse, Sydney Opera House, Australian Opera, The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. She has been working with the MSO since 2020 to conceptualize and help create groundbreaking, equitable, intercultural, multidisciplinary collaborations of artistic excellence that redefines music as dance, theatre and text.
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Media Contact
Marty Hirst
communications.vic@ausdance.org.au
0400 975 256
Ausdance VIC is the peak body for dance in Victoria and our mission is to see dance thrive throughout the state. One of our key priorities is building capacity, capability, and resilience across the sector. We seek to do this through education, advocacy, and activation.