We The Aliens | Ela Bartilomo and Cecilia Martin
As I was watching We the Aliens, I kept on think about who are the aliens and how do we relate to them. Etymologically, alien means foreign, strange. It is the ‘Other’ to which we cannot relate. And yet, we do have a relation with the alien, albeit in negative terms. The alien is that which we negate from ourselves, that we make foreign to us, and that we perceived as strange and threatening. The body of acrobats and contortionists is a good representation of this concept and also an entry point to reflect on it.
By Request | Jenny Wynter
Jenny and Angie Wynter made a great team. I assumed they had set rhythms of songs they were going to perform and then Jenny improvised the lyrics. Her talent as a professional singer shone through, unbelievable that she could sing so beautifully and be constructing lyrics at the same time. I fully expected to see smoke coming out of her ears, that’s how fast her brain appeared to be working.
Pay the Dancers: Brisbane's Dance Community Takes on the AFL
“On average, I receive calls or email requests once a week asking for 'free' dancers in lieu of exposure. I understand they don't get it and it is my job to educate them,” notes Meg Cooper, CEO of Mad Dance House in Brisbane.
“For me if there is no budget, it's simple. It's a no. I don't want to be known as giving cheap gigs to the dancers. I am a proud advocate for dancers and I want them to be treated as professionals.”
From The Dew of Heaven | Isabella Catenaro
The rigidity of moral teachings can breed negative attachments in the form of repression or rebellion. Instead, Isabella challenges this rigidity with a creative spirit. They don’t negate it; they put it on the table and dissect it with kindness, generosity, and vulnerability. Isabella lays their authentic self on the Eucharistic altar and let people come close to their queerness to show the softness, gentleness, and humanity that can be in it.
Cosi | THAT Production Company & Mira Ball
The cast was sublime. There was not one actor that was better than the other. Maybe that sounds cliché but it’s the truth. They were a tight knit ensemble, which was exactly what a play like Cosi needs.
Into the Unknown: Three Brisbane projects born in Lockdown
There was a period of time where the vibrant city of Brisbane lay still, hiding from the oncoming pandemic like Alan Grant trembling in front of a T-Rex, exclaiming ‘It can’t see us if we don’t move’. Many folks took to new hobbies in valiant attempts to combat the dread and disconnect that arose from a city in Lockdown. Here are three Brisbane creatives who dove headfirst into new projects during lockdown.
Five Brissie bops to get you bouncing
I don’t know about you, but I love listening to music. Especially when it’s music produced, written, performed (and sometimes all three) by local Brissy artists. So, I thought I’d compile a list of the latest Brisbane bops I’ve been listening to. Vee goes looking for the best local sounds.
Arc | Australasian Dance Collective
Arc was the first show of ADC since November 2019, and it was a remarkable post-pandemic lockdown comeback. It took place in South Bank, in the grassy area set against river and the cityscape as background. It is not often that you can enjoy the inviting feelings evoked by the Mercurian feet of dancers moving on soft grass.
Snapshot | Polytoxic
Part installation, and part dramatic outdoor performance, Snapshot is most of an hour of lockdown reminiscing, dreaming, recovery, survival and bouncing back. Much of the projections were recorded when Polytoxic sent a call-out to artists to record a message and respond and tell us how they were doing.
1.5x12 | Phluxus2 Dance Collective
“I’ve found time to recalibrate my understanding of self in this shifting terrain. More than ever I feel the deep value of my choreographic self, my collaborators, my community and the significance of arts and culture of our country.” Nerida Matthaei on creating in the new normal.
Circus Delivery! | Vulcana Circus
After months inside, away from my people, to have a circus garden party was a such pleasure and a treat. We all wore hats. We ate 11 types of cake. We giggled and smiled and pointed and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the cute, hot, funny, stoopid performance by Vulcanista’s Abbey Church and Liv Porter.
One Bottle Later | The Good Room
Following Covid-safe distancing and hand-held signs directing us not to speak, we entered into a magical space. The room was beautifully lit by Jason Glenwright with waiters dancing around and making sure everyone was looked after. I felt like I was transported in time to a 1920’s nightclub. The attention to detail was delightful.
Three Brisbane Zines for a Literary Lover
Why seek greener pastures when there is a mossy cornucopia of content right here in your own backyard? Here are three local zine-makers who are bringing you the latest art, literature, and poetry from Brisbane.
Common People Dance Eisteddfod 2 | Common People Dance Project
On Saturday night, I watched the second greatest battle of all time... The Common People Dance Eisteddfod 2. The teams of suburban gladiators had a dance off once again to prove which side of Brisbane is the best. The event was held at the South Bank Piazza; south of the bank, west of the city, east of the border and north of the rest of the world.
Another parliamentary inquiry into the arts, or, who gives a f*ck about your opinion?
Public opinion is a significant force in the political realm. And whilst public opinion may not always markedly influence the nitty gritty details of public policy, it certainly shapes the boundaries that limit it. Like an artist whose prior experience and choice of tools influence the sculpting of a block of clay into something more meaningful, in Australia, a democratic nation, public opinion shapes government action to fashion public policy.
The Type | Pink Matter
I love seeing young women who are free. It makes my heart sing. I don’t think you ever regret making art like this - fun, determined and with all your mates and for the pure joy of it and cause it’s important and just because you want to move like this.
For my sins I live in Brisbane
Many a time a stranger to our sundrenched plains has cried, ‘but nothing ever happens in Brisbane!’ And I say woe unto you, for you are not getting invited to the right parties.
That's What She Said | The Good Room
At multiple points during its runtime, The Good Room’s That’s What She Said leverages my literal words and memories to emphasise a certain theme or evoke a particular emotion for its audience. Sitting in that audience, such moments feel particularly surreal and surprising.
The Neighbourhood | La Boite & Multicultural Australia
Directed by La Boite’s Artistic Director Todd MacDonald, The Neighbourhood is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful forms of storytelling that I’ve witnessed both on and off the stage. Featuring seven storytellers (Amer Thabet, Naavi Karan, Matt Hsu, Aurora Liddle-Christie, Anisa Nandaula, Cieavash Arean, Nima Doostkhah), it is a devised work in which each actor shares their own stories, through music, dance, rap or song and by using the space and the set as their own creative playground.
That's What She Said | The Good Room
Once again in ‘That’s What She Said’, The Good Room asks their audience to bare witness to the often unheard storiesof Australians. This time, they seek to tell the stories of the women in ourlives, created as a salute to the grand old broad, Metro Arts before it closed for good on 15 February 2020.