Creative ID: 241
Christchurch for week long + residencies I can travel around New Zealand.
My arts or creative practice (including details about my specific focus within that art form/practice and my strengths)
We specialise in teaching students high-energy theatre-making skills, working to make devised performances inspired by art, storytelling, history and dance. Creation is inspired by Japanese theatre forms, Butoh and the Suzuki Method of Actor Training as well as The Viewpoints from New York. The work is excellence training, where students build their confidence and connection to each other through exposure to a unique form of theatre training. It inspires deep connection with each other and provides a quick shared language to create exceptional work, based on a combined group passion or story.
My track record of experience and success - or the track record of experience and success of the creative or artist that I will partner with
We have just completed a four-week intensive in outback Australia through the Queensland District Health board and the Foundation. A video of this work is available if you want to see the work in action, showing some of the teaching processes and the products created by the students. We specialise in school programmes, running them in Singapore, (UWCSEA), Cambridge, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, and Australia. Our specialist training is from Japan and New York, I train alongside Dairakudakan in Hakuba Japan. Annually we work alongside founding directors in the training in Brisbane, Australia.
Describe the experience you have had working with children or young people, teaching or facilitating creative processes
I have a Bachelor of Education and am a registered teacher, specialising in performing arts. I used to teach drama and dance in a high-school setting, alongside weekly classes in theatre companies. I have worked with very young children in groups for dance and theatre, our latest project was in middle school. I specialise in working with young adults, teaching high school students weekly physical theatre classes in Christchurch. I have also worked alongside mixed ability students through Jolt dance for years. I teach annually at Stomping Ground in Brisbane, where professionals (adults and youth) from all over the world come to train.
Why I want to be part of the Creatives in Schools programme and how my involvement will link to my creative practice
I would love to offer the training to students from schools who may not usually have the budget to bring our specialised program into their school. The process of training is resilience building and helps students to increase their self-esteem. It's an extremely quick way for students to connect together as an ensemble and work collaboratively to create performance work. There is so much potential for cross-curricular learning and self expression through this training, and I'm passionate about our schools programme in this company. I would love to have a programme happen in a school over a longer term basis or building to a performance.