Create Space Dance Residency

Dancer and choreographer Dean Walsh is the inaugural recipient of the Create Space Dance Residency taking place in the Jubilee Hall at the Parramatta Town Hall. The residency is a partnership initiative between AusdanceNSW, the Sydney Opera House and FORM Dance Projects, to provide supportive residency space for artists who identify as living with disability.

Dean will use the two-week (15-26 July 2019) opportunity to continue developing his (rather epic) solo work, EgoSystem. It was first presented, as Threshold: NRC, on a double bill with Cloè Fournier, for the inaugural ‘Generations’ program, at PACT centre for emerging artists in June 2018. As with several performative and choreographic aspects of the first ‘outing’ last year, the name has been changed / developed to better describe this more fully realised and funded version.

In this work Dean wants to make a clear, thoughtful and concise impact on engaging audiences in how we can all come together, in more solidarity, to activate against environmental impacts of climate change, in particular from a marine perspective, that affects ‘every single one of us’- human and animal.

EgoSystem is inspired by Dean’s (now 14 year old) research and involvement in “embodied environmentalism” (scuba diving, dance and collaborations with various environmental agencies). He is also inspired by the hopeful and activating work of renowned Australian environmental philosopher, Dr Glenn Albrecht and his writings on “Earth Emotions” – in particular, those he has coined:

  • Solastalgia – the homesickness we experience whilst still living at “home” – where destructive, and seemingly unstoppable forces around us, threaten us individually, our community, natural resources, species and soverignty
  • Soliphilia – describes the love for solidarity and the actions we can adopt to work as community against the growing forces of global solastalgia
  • Symbiocene – a term that encourages us to embrace a more positive existence beyond the destructive systems in place, within the Anthropocene, that have prevailed since the industrial revolution. It describes the need for a renewed respect of and connection with natural systems within our planet’s biosphere.

Glenn attended Dean’s last ‘outing’ and was very taken by it and his plans for its development. Glenn will be involved as on-stage speaker in the final iteration of this “solo” dance work.

DEAN’S TEAM OF COLLABORATORS:
 Glenn Albrecht – writer and speaker
Fausto Brusamolino – lighting design and assistance (all the LX is off-grid / rig and operated by Dean and remote control)
Victoria Spence – offering some dramaturgical / outside eye support
Andrew Batt-Rawden – composer and AV and general support

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Dean has been a major influencer within the contemporary dance/performance, queer performance practice and disability arts access communities for the past 3 decades. He’s done a lotta stuff!

For more info on Glenn’s extraordinary work, go to: