Looking for something to in NYC this evening? Tonight UntitledlCollective will be performing ‘Meeting Place’ as part of REVERBdance APAP Festival.

Performance Location: Baruch Performing Arts Centre within Baruch College, NYC 55 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10010

Date & Time: Friday the 6th of January at 8:00pm Sunday the 7th of January 2012 at 2:00pm

Tickets: $12.00 General Admission & $8.00 for Students

Tickets sold via Baruch’s Box Office: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac/

I am very excited & proud to be attending the New York City Premiere reception for the Australian film SAMSON & DELILAH at BAM this evening Directed by Warwick Thornton. His mother, Freda Glynn, co-founded, and was the first Director of the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA), and was the Director of Imparja Television for its first 10 years and, for a time, she was the only female chair of a television network in the world. In 1993 she, together with Philip Batty, won the $50,000 international prize in communications, the McLuhan Teleglobe Canada Award. CAAMA did a great deal to connect & produce Australian Aboriginal talent & is a nationally respected establishment.

To all my American friends, this film has had very successful reviews in Australia & I personally love it! Hortlisted for the Academy Awards and featured as one of Australia’s top 3 box office hits of 2009, the highest grossing year in Australian history. BUT most importantly its AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL!!!!! 

Winner Camera D’or, Cannes 2009, SAMSON & DELILAH has just played in Washington DC as part of THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ALL ROADS FILM PROJECT. All reviews loved it. This film is just opening nationally in the Untied States of America. For more information go to;http://www.samsonanddelilahmovie.com/

Tuesday, the 24th of August 2010.

Today Battery Dance Company (BDC) held an audition in New York City, to find a new women dancer to replace the very talented Mayuna Shimizu. Jonathan, Carmon, Sean, Robin and I took the audition - I was honoured to be a part of the audition process.

There were SO many beautiful and talented dancers who came to audition to share their skills with the company. Being from Australia I was overwhelmed by the number of dancers who came to take the audition at a Broadway based studios. Nevertheless like the fabulous ladies in Australia, the New York City dancers were astonishing. Which is both good and bad; Good because it was such a rare delight to gather and to see these dancers abilities BUT, Bad because there the company and I were so astonished by the talents and artistry these dancers had.

I have only taken part in supporting two tertiary auditions in Australia and the privilege of assessing several of Australia’s leading Indigenous arts college’s students. Until today I hadn’t had the chance to be ‘on the other side’ of a professional dance company audition, particularly in New York City - were there are such a large amount of dancers.

I was so honoured to be a part of this process and have personally learnt a lot from this challenging experience. In my ignorance I did not think this side of the process was so difficult, but it truly is. 

Even through I have only been part of the BDC family for the last four months a result of the generous support of The Australia Council for the Arts, ATISAB. Mayuna has been a part of the company for several years - I will miss her deeply! She is still one of the most effeminate (Yellow Ocher) women I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She will without a doubt remain one of my dear friends and artistic colleagues, that is if she wishes.  

Mayuna Shimizu & I rehearsing our “Radioactive duet” on the steps of The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan - 7/08/2010

Mayuna Shimizu & I in a BDC photo shoot in Humberg, Germany early in July 2010 

The first photos of the 29th Annual Downtown Dance Festival on Sunday  12th of August!

The festival is still running until Friday. Come and check out some amazing performances at One New York Plaza, from noon - 2pm! Go to our website (www.batterydance.org) for the full schedule.

Its fabulous to have the opportunity to see a festival that gathers; the birth of modern dance (Lori Belilove’s IsaDora Duncan Dance Company, NYC), Traditional Indian Dance (The Guru Radha Mohanan and Troupe, India) Modern Ballet (Classical Contemporary Dance Theatre Ballet, NYC) modern Japanese dance (The Yuko Takahashi Dance Company (The dance company BDC and I just worked with in Sendai, Japan). It is amazing to see all these cultural together sharing their passion. I feel incredibly privileged to be part of this festival.  

All photos by Richard Termine.

Monday the 9th of August 2010

The last several days have been a very inspiring creative venture. Carmen & I are so significantly proud of the dance participant’s; dedication, kindness, generosity and commitment.

Mukogawa OG/So-bu kai & Ashiya Gakuen High School rehearsing part of their new work. 

The students & myself at the Ahiya Shimin Centre rehearsal space going through their ‘Earth Elements’ phrase with the fabulous Carmen in the background working the another group.