Australian Dance Biennale Summit confronts sector challenges
On 5 June, Melbourne/Naarm hosted the Australian Dance Biennale Summit at the Flinders Street Station Ballroom, coinciding with the first Australian Dance Biennale and RISING festival. Erica McCalman served as the host, while director Gideon Obarzanek recognized the voices that were missing. Choreographer Amrita Hepi highlighted the importance of dance as a collective art form. Geoffrey Lim shared statistics indicating that dance audiences exhibit the highest loyalty. International curator Sabrina Chen emphasized the value of long-lasting artistic partnerships. The panel titled 'Beyond the Premiere' included Vicki Van Hout and Stephanie Lake, who discussed collaboration and local involvement. Jeff Khan elaborated on multi-year commissioning strategies, while Fergus Lineham's second panel posed the question, 'Who wants this?' Key topics included the fleeting nature of dance, sustainability, and audience-focused communication.
Key facts
- Australian Dance Biennale Summit held on 5 June in Melbourne/Naarm at Flinders Street Station Ballroom
- Hosted by Erica McCalman, opened by director Gideon Obarzanek
- Choreographer Amrita Hepi urged attention to what sits 'just outside the frame'
- Geoffrey Lim from Cypher Culture presented National Arts Participation Survey data showing dance audiences are most 'sticky' in loyalty
- International curator Sabrina Chen argued for long-term relationships to bridge geopolitical divides
- Wiradjuri choreographer Vicki Van Hout emphasized collaboration in First Nations contexts begins in everyday community spaces
- Stephanie Lake's Colossus toured 11 countries by embedding local engagement
- Asia TOPA's Jeff Khan described multi-year commissioning models based on trust
- Dancer Angela Goh applied museum conservation frameworks to dance
- Fergus Lineham (Carriageworks CEO) reframed audience question as 'Who wants this?'
- Jay Wegman (NYU Skirball) reported US venue closures and visa costs of $10,000 per artist
- Deniz Bolar (Kampnagel, Hamburg) and Bruno Heyndericks (Hessisches Staatsballett) noted appetite for ambitious Australian work
- Anna Cheng outlined Hong Kong's government-supported dance model
- Roundtables focused on regional touring, participation pathways, international exchange, and audience relationships
Entities
Artists
- Erica McCalman
- Gideon Obarzanek
- Amrita Hepi
- Geoffrey Lim
- Sabrina Chen
- Vicki Van Hout
- Stephanie Lake
- Jeff Khan
- Angela Goh
- Fergus Lineham
- Georgia Henry
- Hannah Fox
- Brett Goebel
- Jay Wegman
- Deniz Bolar
- Bruno Heyndericks
- Anna Cheng
Institutions
- Australian Dance Biennale
- RISING festival
- Flinders Street Station Ballroom
- Cypher Culture
- National Arts Participation Survey
- Asia TOPA
- Carriageworks
- Canberra Theatre Centre
- The Royal Family Dance Crew
- NYU Skirball
- Kampnagel
- Hessisches Staatsballett
- ScreenHub
- ArtsHub
- Creative Australia
Locations
- Melbourne
- Naarm
- Australia
- United States
- Hamburg
- Germany
- Hong Kong
- Sydney