ABOUT THE ASSOCIATE ARTIST PROGRAM
The Associate Artist program is the company’s first ever ongoing paid initiative for mid-career dance theatre artists made possible by four-year funding from Australia Council for the Arts and Create NSW (2021-24).
The Associate Artist program provides paid professional development, artistic mentorship, creative development funds and producing support in the making of a new work. The program is tailored to the individual’s own artistic and practice goals, and is offered for a two-to-three-year cycle. This is our most significant artist support program yet – our unique way of developing and sustaining the highest quality of multidisciplinary dance theatre practice in Australia.
ASSOCIATE ARTISTS (2021-2023): GHENOA GELA & LIESEL ZINK
Image: Ashley de Prazer
Ghenoa Gela
Highly-award winning, multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional storyteller, Ghenoa Gela is a proud Koedal – Aubaith Clan Wagadagam, Mualgal Poid and Aragan, Samsep and Peidu Woman. Originally born on Darumbal Country CQ, Ghenoa now resides on Bidjigal Country in Sydney and the foundation of Ghenoa’s ever-growing skill base stems from her strength as a Traditional Torres Strait Islander dancer and her fierce cultural values of visibility in the broad western landscape.
Some companies Ghenoa has worked with include: Force Majeure, Marrugeku Dance Theatre Company, Shaun Parker & Company, Bell Shakespeare and Circus Oz. Ghenoa’s TV and film credits include: Move it Mob Style, Nothing to Lose Documentary, The Movement Series, Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors? and Playschool Storytime.
As an independent artist, Ghenoa also navigates in the capacities of: director, writer, comedian, choreographer, performer, workshop facilitator and mentor in remote, regional, and urban communities.
In 2019, Ghenoa successfully toured her one-woman show My Urrwai nationally:
“Theatre that moves you this much is vital. Yes, it’s wonderful to be entertained by theatre and this show is entertaining, but it’s something more than that. ‘My Urrwai’ feels important. It’s the sort of show you feel everyone should experience and perhaps, if we’re lucky, it would change society for the better.” – Stage Whisper.
Ghenoa has been working closely with Force Majeure over the past six years as a performer on You Animal, You and Masters of Modern Sound; and as a choreographer and director on Mura Buai (co-directed by Danielle Micich) and on Lak Malual Paru (in-development and co-produced by Force Majeure and Ilbijerri Theatre Company).
On the announcement as Force Majeure’s inaugural Associate Artist, Ghenoa said:
“Force Majeure is more like family than a company. They have been my greatest support and rock in not only my artistic career but also my life. Coz art is life is art is life. Force asking me to be one of their Associate Artists is more than just a title, it’s a rare role that a blak woman like me in the arts rarely gets offered without an agenda. This is what recognition beyond colour looks like. I know this role is setting me up to propel me into my greater ambition of being an AD of my own company. I’m ready Force, LET’S GOOO!! OOUUUSSSSS!!!” – Ghenoa Gela.
Image: Fenlan Chuang
Liesel Zink
Living on the lands of the Turrbal and Jagera people, Liesel Zink is an award-winning socially-engaged choreographer interested in the collective body in public space. Seeking to engage new and diverse audiences in meaningful arts experiences, she creates large-scale dance works in public space and uses her process as an opportunity for artistic, cultural and intergenerational exchange. Liesel has developed and presented independent work around Australia, Asia and Eastern Europe. She received the 2017 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance for her public space project The Stance which has been presented in eleven different venues around Australia and overseas (South Korea, Hungary and Hong Kong), engaging over 80 performers between the ages of 8 and 72 years of age. Further independent projects include Granite (West Kowloon Cultural District Hong Kong, Supercell, QUT Art Museum); Awesome: a state of wonder and fear (World Science Festival 2021); Our New (IMA Gallery; Making Art Work 2020); Inter (Flowstate 2018) and fifteen (Next Wave 2012, Brisbane Festival Under the Radar 2012).
Liesel has also collaborated with others in her capacity as a dramaturge, movement co-ordinator, performer, provocateur and producer, seeing her work with Polytoxic, Leah Shelton, Courtney Scheu, Michael Smith, Ashleigh Musk, The Good Room, GENERATE (Situate on the Gold Coast), Amrita Hepi and Performing Lines. In 2018 Liesel facilitated the South-East Asian Choreolab at Rimbun Dahan (Malaysia). She has also been commissioned to choreograph works with Tasdance, Expressions Dance Company and LINK Dance Company. In 2019/2020 Liesel was the Chair of Supercell Dance Festival.
Liesel has worked with Force Majeure as a lead collaborator with Danielle Micich on the 2018 Commonwealth Games Commission Flock, and as Assistant Director on the recent world premiere of our new work The Last Season. She also participated in Force Majeure’s INCITE Intensive program in 2018.
On the announcement of her role as Associate Artist, Liesel said:
“What I love about Force Majeure is the enriching ways it connects with a broad cross-section of artists across many different practices, ages and cultural backgrounds. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet, work with and learn from the artists and communities Force Majeure connects with and deepen my skills as an artist, collaborator and leader.” – Liesel Zink.