The Finnish–Australian exchange project brings together three Finnish and three Australian dancers and choreographers.
The artists at a welcome BBQ at Campbelltown Arts Centre, 6 March. #idancex
Jane McKernan (AUS), Maija Hirvanen (FIN), Lizzie Thomson (AUS), Timothy Darbyshire (AUS), Satu Herrala (FIN) and Jarkko Partanen (FIN) have been in residence at Campbelltown Arts Centre for three weeks in an artistic exchange program which will continue over two years. The artists will continue working together next November in Helsinki.
Along with the artistic collaboration the Finnish and Australian dancers seek to learn from each other eg. about community work and inclusive dance practice. The participants will get involved in the local communities and environment.
At the second phase of the exchange programme the leading specialist Philip Channels from Dance Integrated Australia will deliver workshops in Helsinki and Kuopio for dancers with and without disability.
The notion of exchange itself was unpacked in Artists’ Salon organized by the dance research centre Critical Path. What do we exchange? Why would we exchange?
Jane McKernan and Maija Hirvanen shared a ”pavlova”, talked about their individual practices, and entered into discussion about discoveries and surprises during the exchange. Maija and Jane touched on global/local similarities and differences – family, childcare, education, food, communication, the shorthand language within western dance practice and dance community, and observed this exchange – instigation, participating artists, conversations, group dynamics and intersections of interests. [See the video below.]
This first step of the dance exchange is hosted by Zodiak – Center for New Dance and Campbelltown Arts Centre.
During two years the Australia–Finland Dance Exchange will include several partners from Kajaani to Oulu in Finland and from Melbourne to Perth in Australia. The programme is jointly coordinated and partially funded by the Australia Council for the Arts and Dance Info Finland.
ARTISTS’ SALON – INTERNATIONAL DANCE EXCHANGE (FINLAND/AUSTRALIA) 2014-2015:
JANE MCKERNAN (AUS) and MAIJA HIRVANEN (FIN)
6.00pm, Thursday 20 March, 2014.
Presented by Critical Path
Partners: Campbelltown Art Centre and Zodiak – Center for New Dance (FIN)
Article courtesy of Dance Info Finland