BLAKDANCE RESIDENCY PROGRAM - 2019

excelsior

New work in development
eXcelsior is an intracultural dance company made up of Queensland Murris, based in Brisbane. Featuring; Leonard Donahue, Tibian Wyles, Benjin Maza, Benjamin Creek, Manduway Dutton and Joshua Thaiday. Their practice is anchored in body based storytelling and they have performed at the Sydney Opera House and festivals across Australia. Most recently they were part of Festival 2018, Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast.

eXcelsior’s residency took place at Backbone over March 2019, with a showing in the Backbone studio, East Brisbane Bowls Club.

eXcelsior collaborators: Mark Sheppard (mentor) and Sam Pankhurst (music design).

Programmed through an EOI process, the BlakDance residency supports multidisciplinary performance, testing ideas and new talent. Our 2018 assessment panel included local dance sector practitioners, elders and peers of BlakDance: Waiata Telfer (independent choreographer), Roslyn Watson (elder), Bradley Chatfield (Head of Dance at ACPA) and Kath Quigley (Director of Backbone Youth Arts). Our inaugural artists in residence were: Karul Projects, Katina Olsen and eXcelsior.

BlakDance partnered with Backbone Youth Arts, for rehearsal and development space to create new work.

Through the Program, each resident was given the opportunity to enlist collaborators to assist with the development of their work during this residency.

The three showings were presented with Brisbane City Council’s Gathering, as offsite gatherings. 

Click here to see recipients of the 2021-2022 BlakDance Residency Program

BlakDance has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland Backing Indigenous Arts Initiative