About

Youth Dance Makers Initiative empowers young people with the tools and confidence to express their ideas and perspectives through movement and performance making.

We strongly believe that young voices have ideas, skills and talent worth bringing to the fore.

We strive to create a safe, inclusive and encouraging environment for young artists express themselves unapologetically, expand their creative and collaborative skills, connect with a diverse range of dance and interdisciplinary artists and broaden perceptions of dance as an artform.

Projects

UPRISING. April Intensive (2023) Image credit Lucas White

We offer opportunities for young people to create dance works with mentorship and direction from establish choreographers and artists working in and around dance.

We are a project based company, meaning that rather than committing to a up to a year of training and rehearsal we create works in week-long project intensives

to create dance films and live performances.

Collaboration is at the core. We experiment and work together towards a shared artistic artistic outcome that amplifies the artistic voice of those involved.

0 auditions, 0 competitions, 100% creativity.

We are always on the look our for creative individuals to collaborate on our projects.

We invite you to choreograph, dance, make decisions about costumes and lights, direct, experiment with a camera and lend a hand behind the scenes.

Join the Next Project

Workshops

Summer Workshop Series 2023. contact Improvisation with Emily Bowman. Image Erin O'Rourke

For curious movers, future dance makers and young people interested in experimenting with contemporary choreographic practices. Our workshops provide an opportunity to explore improvisational tools and choreographic strategies shared by acclaimed dance artists and choreographers in a supportive environment.

Festivals & Collaborations

RADICAL TRANSPARENCY (2023) in Bega with FLING & WE ARE HERE. Image Chris Sheedy Reflex

We support your dance journey through incredible opportunities for connection and creation with likeminded artists, in Naarm and beyond.

In 2023 and 2024 we toured to Bega in NSW to collaborate with

FLING Physical Theatre and WE ARE HERE Company.

Every two years we converge with youth dance companies from across Australia at Australian Youth Dance Festival. The next AYDF will be held in 2025.

Seeing Dance Together

We are so lucky to live in a city that has such a diverse and rich dance landscape.

We go and see shows together! Expose ourselves to new works by established companies and experimental works by independent dance artists.

It's a great way to connect between projects, see what's out there and get to know what excites us creatively.

CHUNKY MOVE 4X4 (2023) at The Malthouse Theatre. Image Tabatha Sango

Meet Chelsea

Meet our Artistic Director

Hi, I'm Chelsea.

I'm a dance artist, educator and producer. I'm artistically obsessed with interdisciplinary collaboration, creating immersive environments and promoting active spectatorship. My primary passion is creating experiences for young people that broaden their perceptions of dance while fostering interpersonal connection and unapologetic self-expression.

I'm a bit of a dance nerd and spent a lot of time at university exploring my relationship to dance and performance making. I've completed a B Arts (Dance) / Education, P.Grad. Dip. in Performance Making (Choreography) and Master of Dance.

I've had some incredible experiences in dance and performing arts. I've performed at Short Sweet + Dance, Sydney Fringe, Melbourne Fringe, Midsumma, Dance Massive, Dancehouse and The Arts Centre as well as a few indie festivals and galleries, collaborated on screen based works for the Signal Screen, Chin Chin Art Wall, and SXSW Festival (USA). I was Director of Contemporary Dance for The Space Dance and Arts Centre, a coordinator for national participatory dance festival Big Dance 2018, participation producer for the award winning Consort of the Moon at RISING Festival 2023 and am on the national committee for Youth Dance Australia.

If I'm not dreaming up projects and workshops for Youth Dance Makers Initiative you'll find me working behind the scenes on experimental works for some big name choreographers and theatre makers, taking class at LGI or improvising in a dance studio or park somewhere in Melbourne.

Artistic Collaborators' Hall of Fame

Priya Srinivasan

Youth Choreolab Workshop Artist (2023)

Dr. Priya Srinivasan has a dual career as artist/scholar and is the Artistic Director/co-founder of Sangam, a platform to increase and advocate for South Asian Diaspora artists. She lives and works on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people in Narrm/Melbourne. Her practice is rooted in South Asian classical dance, prioritizing feminist decolonization processes, and making visible minority women’s histories. Her artistic work has been presented internationally in major festivals and venues in USA, Europe, China, India and Australia. She has curated, choreographed and performed solo, duet, ensemble and large scale projects in partnership with Hermitage Museum Amsterdam, Berlin Wall Memorial, Rockbund Art Museum Shanghai, Dakshina Chitra and Spaces Chennai, Adishakti Puducherry, Highways Los Angeles, Bunjil Place, Artshouse, Dancehouse, Sydney Opera House, Australian Opera, The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

More recently, she has premiered two ground breaking works: The Durga Chronicles (Green Room Award winner for Breaking Ground) and Agam (part of Mosaics) with the MSO at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl to create decolonial, equitable, intercultural, multidisciplinary collaborations of artistic excellence that redefines music as dance, theatre and text. She has a work in progress called: The Copy of the Copy which will premier at Dancehouse in 2024 and which questions ideas of appropriation between western and non western dance/music and asks who profits?

Kyle Davies

High Schools Workshop Artist (2023)

Kyle Davey's dance training began at Dubbo Ballet Studio. He furthered his training at Queensland Dance School of Excellence where he performed with Queensland Ballet Company. He then attended The Australian Ballet School and performed with The Australian Ballets Dancers Company Tour and The Australian Ballet.

After graduating, he moved to England and danced with New English Contemporary Ballet, Tivoli Ballet in Copenhagen, Cork City Ballet in Ireland and Ballet Russes in Wales. He was involved as a dancer in numerous film, TV and media projects while based in London. This included the choreographic research project DanceLines, directed by Wayne McGregor at the Royal Opera House. Kyle then moved to Canada and joined Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada. He created soloist roles for many new ballets in the company’s repertoire. Kyle was also given the opportunity to choreograph for the company’s velvet Gala.

Kyle has a Graduate Diploma of Elite Dance Instruction through the Australian Ballet Schools Vocational Teacher training course and a Cert 4 in Training and Assessment. He is a regular guest teacher and assessment panelist for the Australian Ballet School in both contemporary and classical dance and a licensed and certified GYROTONIC® instructor.

Amanda Lever

High Schools & Summer Workshop Series Artist (2023)

Amanda Lever graduated from the University of Melbourne (VCA) with Bachelor of Dance (2009), Post-Graduate Diploma in Performance Creation (2012), and Masters in Choreography (2013, VCA Arts Victoria Creative Scholarship for Outstanding Graduate).

She performed for Tasdance (2009), Sela Kiek-Callan (2010-11), Elanor Webber (2013-14) and Delta Project (2014, 2016-19). Choreographic work includes; Hypnagogia, (2015) with visual artist Soma Garner and Body Acousmonium (2019) with sound artist Gillian Lever. Amanda has taught contemporary technique and choreography workshops for The Space and The University
of Melbourne (VCA). She is currently undergoing projects with Belinda Locke, Delta Project and Stephanie Lake.

Emily Bowman

Summer Workshop Series Artist (2023)

Emily is a dance artist, performer, choreographer, teacher, and researcher based in Naarm/Melbourne. She has taught and performed Contact Improvisation (CI) nationally and internationally in the USA, Canada, Germany, Malaysia, and India. Emily also performs CI with her collaborator of ten years, Joey Lehrer, works include Two For Now, and their 2022 sold-out performance Weathering. Emily’s classes are inspired by Nancy Stark Smith, Nita Little, Ray Chung, Keith Hennessy, State of Flux, Rosalind Crisp, among others. She is a WAAPA/Deakin graduate (BA/Hons) and is a current PhD candidate at Deakin. Emily teaches CI at Deakin and runs weekly intensives across Australia.

Jonathan Sinatra

Summer Workshop Series Artist (2023)

Jonathan has over 25 years of experience as a professional choreographer and instructor. Principal dancer with Dance Exchange and Australian choreographer Russell Dumas (2001-present). In 13 Rooms, by French choreographer Xavier Leroy (Sydney 2012). Becky Hilton (2010) and Eleanore Didier at the Melbourne International Arts Festival (2014). Europe Contact Exchange Improvisation Teachers (2010-2012). Room to Create, City of Yarra (2019); Dunmoochin Arts Residency are among the selected residencies (2012-2014). Professor of Contemporary Dance, VCA (2020-present). Teaching Artist for ArtLife mixed-ability dance programme at Footscray Community Arts Centre (2010-present).

Kyall Shanks

Summer Workshop Series Artist (2023)

Kyall is a dance artist based in Naarm, and specializes in a variety of different areas within the dance industry. Kyall's work includes performing, teaching, directing and producing for both minor and major large scale professional companies, institutions, national festivals and organisations. Kyall also works within a number of youth and community dance contexts, and is passionate about increasing the accessibility of dance through the elimination of hierarchy and by creating safer spaces for all.

Ngioka Bunda-Heath

Summer Workshop Series Artist (2023)

Ngioka is Wakka Wakka, Ngugi from Queensland (matrilineal); and Birrpai from New South Wales (patrilineal). She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) at the VCA- the first Aboriginal woman to graduate in her field. Ngioka performed in works by Mariaa Randall, Sarah Aiken, Rebecca Jensen, and Amrita Hepi. She worked for Bangarra Dance Theatre “Rekindling” their youth education program; is the First Peoples Partnership Coordinator at Chunky Move; and the current Hutchinson Indigenous Fellowship and Residency recipient at the VCA. Ngioka has participated in dance conferences, festivals and residencies internationally. Choreographic work includes; Blood Quantum (2019), Birrpai (2021) awarded Dance Best Ensemble at the Greenroom Awards and Bridge (2022).

Zoë Bastin

Summer Workshop Series Artist (2023)

Zoë's expanded choreographic practice considers exhibition, installation, publication and performance as part of the same political project - the reorganisation of societal structures that limit bodies. In 2021 she completed a PhD at RMIT, University. Zoë has previously exhibited & performed at the Villa Lena Foundazione, Chunky Move, Bus Projects, Dancehouse, Midsumma Festival, Felt Space, c3 Contemporary Art Space, Seventh Gallery, Testing Grounds, BLINDSIDE, Bloc Projects, KINGS Artist Run, MADA Gallery at Monash University, Project Space at RMIT University & The Substation.

Gemma Notara

UPRISING. Artistic Mentor and Sound Designer

Gemma is a composer, pianist and sound practitioner living on Gadigal country. Their work consists of original electroacoustic musical scores for contemporary dance, theatre and experimental audiovisual works. Gemma is a founding member of Root Synthesis Collective, whose work explores interactivity and improvisation using sound, movement and video art.

Gemma has worked with young people for nearly a decade as an artist, mentor, and teacher. As a mentor and guest artist, Gemma has contributed to the Girls Rock! Sound Skills 101 workshops, and enjoys facilitating the creation of stories through the use of AR technology as a digital artist for Arena Theatre Company’s Hidden Creatures Gallery, running interactive theatre workshops across Victoria and NSW since 2021.

As a researcher, their interest lies primarily in deepening the act of collaboration between different art forms, with a focus on the intersection between the moving body and music. Credits include Aotearoa Audio Arts Festival, Federation Square Soundwalk for Signal Screen Commissions, SXSW, Works For Loudspeakers Listening Sessions (NZ), Music From Her: Suffragettes Exhibition (NZ), Inhabit Dance Festival 2019, La Mama Explorations 2019, The Zoo Creations for Projection Dance Co and more. Gemma is a First Class Hons graduate of both RMIT University and Victorian College of The Arts.

Elnaz Sheshgelani

UPRISING. Artistic Mentor (2022)

Elnaz is a Persian/Australian storyteller (“Naghal”), theatre maker, puppeteer and dancer. Her performance roots lie in Naghali, an ancient and endangered form of Persian dramatic storytelling that is believed to be several thousand years old. Elnaz has a PhD in Performing Arts and through doctoral research at Melbourne University creatively reconstructed the gestural vocabulary of the early form of Naghali that was lost after the Islamic conquest of Persia. Her goal is to help preserve Naghali by applying it

inter-culturally.

Elnaz’s practice explores organic ways of creating, directing and choreographing. She is deeply interested in the performative aspects of communication and has focused on the design and creation of posture and gesture to develop a physical language that can be used for storytelling in the context of dance, theatre and puppetry. Elnaz is a member of UNESCO’s International Dance Council. She has run workshops in Armenia, Malaysia and Australia (La Mama Theatre), and is founder of Theatre Playroom, a small theatre studio in Melbourne, workshopping her findings in dance and theatre with Australian artists.

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Shelley O'Meara

UPRISING. Artistic Mentor (2022)

Shelley O’Meara is a Naarm/Melbourne based video artist, animator, and dancer. Having recently completed their Honours degree in Animation at the VCA, Shelley’s work combines live movement, projected animation and intricate video layering techniques to develop highly immersive works on and off the screen. Concerned with power, autonomy and the politicisation of bodies; movement is Shelley’s primary storytelling tool and in 2019 they began training in contemporary dance to broaden their understanding of dynamic movement and embodiment. Shelley is a core member of interdisciplinary collective Root Synthesis and moonlights as a performer with sight specific theatre group Gold Satino.

Winner of VCA’s “New Voice Award” for Of Safe Return (2016), recipient of the Signal Screen Commission for An End in Itself (2017) winner of the Montsalvat Film Prize for It’s Brutal Baby (2019) previous participant in Dance House’s Emerging Choreographers Program (2021).