BLAKForm
BlakForm is a development platform for First Nations dance makers.
BlakForm was created through over 120 sector consultations undertaken in 2020 during the first wave of Covid and is BlakDance’s strategic response to both the adverse impacts, and opportunities to reimagine practice.
BlakForm supported eight of Australia’s leading First Nations dance makers to drive the development of their work – from their artistic practice, to building their profile, to embedding market development strategies in their work. This combined development supported these artists’ work to reach more audiences and communities locally, nationally and globally.
BlakForm EVALUation READ HERE
We had an evaluation of BlakForm done by Penny Miles and the report has provided learnings and insights on market development far bigger than us with industry wide implications.
BlakForm alumni
Image credit: Jody Haines Photography taken for Same But Different, Dubai Kungka Miyalk, Dance Massive 2019
Carly Sheppard
Tagalaka, Kurtjar, Wallangamma
As a cross-disciplinary performance artist and proud Tagalaka, Kurtjar, Wallangamma woman, Carly Sheppard’s work negotiates across dance and theatre performance, sculpture, drawing, voice and installation. Carly's most significant and recent work Crackers And Dip With Chase And Toey, premiered in 2018 at Arts House, Melbourne.
Image credit: Joel Bray Dance
Joel Bray
Wiradjuri
An artist living on Kulin country in Melbourne, Joel Bray is a proud Wiradjuri man who trained at NAISDA and WAAPA before pursuing a career in Europe and Israel with Jean-Claude Gallotta, Company CeDeCe, and many more prominent companies. He returned to Australia to work with CHUNKY MOVE. Joel’s choreographic practice includes making dance, dance-theatre and works for young audiences. One of his most recent works, Biladurang, featured in several major festivals including Auckland Arts Festival, Dance Massive, Brisbane and Sydney Festivals.
Image credit: Mick Richards, Kaurl Projects SILENCE
Karul Projects
Started by Thomas E.S. Kelly (Minjungbal-Yugambeh, Wiradjuri and Ni-Vanuatu) and Taree Sansbury (Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri) in 2017, Karul Projects is a performing arts company that tells stories of Indigenous knowledge and its relevance and responsibility in modern and future Australia’s identity. Karul Projects is an arts company using mainly the medium of dance, however they use everything crossing art forms to best tell a narrative. This is the reason behind the name, Karul is a Yugambeh word meaning 'Everything'. The company’s recent premier of SILENCE, in the Brisbane Festival 2020, was the first Indigenous contemporary dance work commissioned by the festival.
Top Left Image credit: Bangarra Marilyn Miller Ochres session. Top Right Image credit: Trina Cary Photography, Katina Olsen. Bottom Image credit: Bangarra, Jasmin Sheppard.
Preparing Ground
Marilyn Miller, a Kuku Yalanji/Waanyi woman, Jasmin Sheppard, a Tagalaka and Kurtitjar woman & Katina Olsen, a Wakka Wakka and Kombumerri woman, collectively represent 6 clan groups and 126 years of experience as independent and company choreographers and dancers. All women have worked with Bangarra and carved independent choreographic careers taking their work across Australia and Canada. Preparing Ground is a new contemporary dance work about preparing land, communities and next generations for the survival of Country.
Image credit: Joshua Pether
Joshua Pether
Kalkadoon
Living and working on Noongar country in Western Australia, Joshua Pether is of Kalkadoon heritage. He is an experimental performance artist, dancer/choreographer of movement, temporary ritual and imagined realities. His practice is influenced by his two cultural histories-indigeneity and disability and the hybridization of the two. Joshua’s most recent work, Jupiter Orbiting, was commissioned by Next Wave Festival and PICA, following performances in New York at Performance Space and Brisbane at SuperCell Festival.
BlakForm Online Learning Platform 2021
The initial component of BlakForm is a six month online professional development platform, facilitated by Kirk Page and Paul McGill. The participating artists will be supported through the sessions by guest speakers from a range of industry perspectives, locally and internationally.
BlakForm will focus on deepening capacity for artists to self-determine their practice and presentation outcomes for the future, while strengthening relationships between the artists and their producer, who together will undergo market development planning. This will enable artists to identify and enter new markets, providing them with the necessary resources, infrastructure and administration to build and negotiate touring, nationally and internationally, taking into consideration the current global pandemic and its implications.
Kirk Page - CoDesigner and Facilitator
Kirk’s is Mulandjali and Badu Island, Torres Strait. Formerly the Associate Artistic Director at the Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) Company, Lismore NSW, Kirk is now creative producer on a range of First Nations dance and physical theatre productions.
Kirk trained at the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association NAISDA and began his professional career with Bangarra Dance Theatre in 1995. Kirk has worked in film, television and theatre. Kirk recently directed Djurra ( LORE ) a Bundjalung Dreaming Story “My artistic practice as a physical theatre performer, actor, dancer, singer, teacher has had me work in the professional industry - commercial and independent over the last 24 years. My practice has developed from the need to be employable, relevant and constantly evolving still. I am intrigued by the body and how it can tell story, its history and its future. As a movement based practitioner this project would have me extending on my physical skill set as an interpreter of ancestor and history.”
Paul McGill - CoDesigner and Facilitator
Paul has strong market development experience with both small to medium artistic companies, independent artists as well as a major performing arts companies as well as coaching and mentoring experience. Past roles include the first Director, International Market Development at Circus Oz (2002 – 2008) and overseeing a highly successful period for Circus Oz internationally as well as as an independent producer for a number of years. Qualifications: University of Melbourne – BSc (Majoring in Biotechnology, Economics, Finance and Accounting) and GAICD Paul leads the Maakan Advisory practice and is a highly experienced strategic advisor bringing in excess of 25 years of strategy, governance, financial and operational experience to all his roles.
Blakform Lab
Each participating artist will undergo a week residency with Critical Path. Claire Hicks and Jasmine Gulash will support the participating groups to bring focus and clarity on how to articulate form for presenter audiences.
Jasmine Gulash
Jasmine is a descendant of the Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) people in South-East Queensland. She has been working in the First Nations Contemporary and Cultural dance space for over 30 years as a dancer, educator, choreographer, tour manager, director and creative producer. Jasmine’s learnings and practises have been enriched by the opportunity of work alongside some of the most talented emerging and established First Nations artists on Country.
Claire Hicks
In her role as Director of Critical Path, Claire has been working with artists, artform and audience development for over 20 years. As an independent producer and curator, her work includes dramaturgy, discourse & writing projects. She has programmed and produced theatre venues, international collaborations, touring work, international festivals, and a range of development programs.
ONGOING BLAKFORM PLATFORM
BlakForm Artists will receive strategic and financial support through the reimagined BlakForm development program. The investment provides each of the artists with seed funding and a dedicated budget for the documentation of their creative development, process or final works.
Through the documentation process, BlakDance will generate context and dialogues with national and international presenters during stages of development of existing and new work, across digital platforms, showcasing high quality live streamed showings or pre-recorded material. This will in turn build domestic demand and export opportunities for First Nations Australia contemporary dance.
Through BlakForm, BlakDance continues to build the professional practice of leaders in our First Nations dance sector and our community. Through this platform BlakDance will employ -
13 choreographers
30+ dancers
20+ creatives
5 BlakDance producers
4 production and technical crew
BlakForm is supported through the Australian Government's Indigenous Languages and Arts program and Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative.
