National Dance Forum
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Tracks Dance Studio, Harbour View Plaza, Darwin City
August 9 - 10, 2019
Expand your thinking about Dance
Drawing dancers and critical dance thinkers together from across the Northern Territory and Australia, the 2019 biennial National Dance Forum explored the notions of HOME – from dance in the body to home as a physical sense of place.
The Forum featured a stunning lineup of dance industry experts including Nicholas Rowe (Auckland), Thomas Mayor (Darwin) and Marilyn Miller (Cairns) to mention a few.
Companies and independent dancers represented every State and Territory of Australia making it a truly national forum.
Forum Themes
• Lineage, disruption and action
• Costume, object and ritual
• Belonging and the ageing body
• Shifting values and dance education
• Itinerant workforce
The heart of the two-day program acknowledged that dance is a political force, a provocation for change, and a much-needed disruptor. A First Nation dance voice and movement in the ageing body both played a central role in the Forum conversations.
The National Dance Forum (NDF) was made possible through the assistance provided by the Northern Territory Government through Arts NT.
Key Personnel
The two-day program was put together by the National Curatorial Panel. Consisting of five members, three from the NT and four from regional Australia, the panel brought a strong sense of people and place.
National Curatorial Panel Chair
Annette Carmichael - Independent Dance Artist and Creative Producer, WA
Panellists
David McMicken - Tracks Dance Company, Artistic Co-Director, NT
Tim Newth - Tracks Dance Company, Artistic Co-Director, NT
Avril Huddy - QUT Lecturer in Dance, Creative Industries Faculty, School of Creative Practice, QLD
Rachael Wallis - Independent First Nation Dancer and Choreographer based in Nhulunbuy, NT
Forum Management
Adelaide Wood - Tracks Dance Company, Company Director, NT
Andrea Wicking - Event Logistics, Salty Plum Events, NT
Company Partners
Tracks Inc is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body; and is proudly sponsored by the Northern Territory Government.
Tracks 2019
Artistic Co-Directors: David McMicken and Tim Newth
Company Director: Adelaide Wood
Production Manager: Duane Preston
Dance Animateur: Kelly Beneforti
Associate Artistic Director: Jess Devereux
Administrator: Jessica Mellor
Bookkeeper: It Figures
Committee Members: Mary Durack (Chairperson), Glenn Bernardin (Treasurer), Michael Grant, David Taylor, Ken Conway, Venaska Cheliah, Sudha Coutinho, Max Dewa Stretton. David McMicken, Tim Newth, Adelaide Wood (Ex-Officio Members)
Public Fund Trustees: Dr Anita Toth
Patron: Her Honour the Honourable Vicki O’Halloran AM, Administrator of the Northern Territory
Photos
Responses
“It was great; you successfully started the dialogue about dance in Australia with it commencing 60,000 years ago.” - Survey respondent
“This Forum has been about impact, the future and change for the future which is a very different approach than previous forums. The location has meant that we have been able to have conversations, and pretty frank conversations, because it is here.” - Annette Carmichael, Ausdance National Committee member
“We are having deep, informed dialogues here about things that we haven’t even started talking about down south.” - Alice Weber, Choreographer
“[Darwin] significantly affected the context and feeling of [the Forum] greatly. Because of the connection to country and the Aboriginal culture that Darwin and Tracks have, it meant we could have a much more radical conversion about First Nations issues.” - Survey respondent
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