PROJECT Z
Youth Dance Makers Initiative looks at the bigger picture.
We pay attention to the world we live in, how we exist within it and how we can rattle the cage.
PROJECT Z is a youth-led, collaborative, screen dance project
CONCEPT = EXPLORATION as a rebellion against capitalist culture and social norms
What expectations does society place on you?
What is it to rebel?
If there were no expectations or pressures placed on you, what would you do?
Who would you become?
This theme evolved through a series of conversations with a group of young people about what they value most.
PROJECT Z's pilot involved the collaboration of 33 artists
29 of these artists were under the age of 25.
It involved:
Nov 2023 - An initial concept development
Dec 2023 - A meeting to sift through and distill ideas
April 2024 - A mini ideas and aesthetics development
July 2024 - 5 days of screen dance workshops, development and filming
August - October 2024 - Feedback on film edits and music score
November 2027 - Premiere Screening + Dance(lens) mini 'Scratch Night'
All youth artists participants were provided the opportunity to direct, choreograph, perform and film.
The resulting film, 'concrete sleep' has been submitted to 16 festivals internationally.
“It’s opened up so many pathways and networks in the community that I still work with and draw on in my freelance dance career.”
Hayley Roe
Youth Artists Collaborator
2024 Youth Artist Collaborators
Initial concept development:
Alice Atkinson, Isabella Davidson, Ellie Dannock, Lakshmi Ganapathy, Nasatran Ghalhghovand, Reuben Macdougall Di Manno, Stephanie Ongkowijoyo, Grace Richardson, Tabatha Sango, Alanah Shelley, Julie Tran and Carlie Yu.
Corey Day
Composer
Facilitators
Erin O'Rourke
Erin is a Naarm/Melbournebased contemporary dancer, choreographer and researcher. Erin was awarded The Australian Ballet/Telstra Emerging Choreographer in 2022 for her dance film ‘yellow mellow’. In 2023, ‘yellow mellow’ was a part of Dancehouse’ Dance (Lens) Official Selection. Choreographic credits include ‘object-shun’ for Melbourne Fringe Festival X Dancehouse and ‘when the water gets cold’ for Transit Dance. Her recent performance work includes Alicia Frankovich’s Rich in World/Poor in World at NGV Australia as a part of Melbourne Now, Jenni Large’s Body Body Commodity in Mona Foma (Tasmania), and Harrison Hall, Sam McGIip and NAXS Future’s Body Crysis at ACMI for Now or Never Festival (Melbourne).
Cobie Orger
Cobie has been engaged with the moving image for over 20 years. She creates meditative works for screen centred around the body in motion, nature and everyday happenings screened in galleries, theatres, cinemas, foyers, personal computers and building facades.
Cobie’s practice often involves collaborations with artists from the visual arts, music, theatre, and dance, and generates work that can exist as intimate viewing encounters, through to large scale, participatory community events.
Alongside her creative practice Cobie is also committed to the documentation of artistic work coming from various artist fields. She has taught editing for Screen Dance at the Victorian College of the Arts and is a co-presenter of screen dance workshops at Dancehouse’s biannual Dance(Lens) program.
Chelsea Byrne
Chelsea is a dance artist, educator and producer. She is and passionate about facilitating opportunities for young people that foster unapologetic self-expression. Her movement practice uses improvisation and composition techniques to create moments of curiosity, indulgence and play. Chelsea has performed at Melbourne Fringe, Midsumma, Dance Massive, Dancehouse and The Arts Centre Melbourne, and collaborated on screen based works shown at Melbourne’s Signal Screen, Chin Chin Art Wall, and SXSW Festival. Chelsea studied dance extensively, completing a Master of Dance at VCA (2016), was formerly Director of Contemporary Dance for The Space Dance & Arts Centre’s pre-professional program and is on the Youth Dance Australia national committee.
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