Sometimes it really blows me away how much is going on in Ballarat. The art scene really is thriving. Recently, Melbourne choreographer Shermaine Heng from VCA did a residency in Ballarat, working in collaboration with the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council to create a dance piece called Breathe Woman! It was about the experiences of multicultural women moving to Ballarat and if you missed it, it was an incredibly moving piece of work. It involved local Ballarat women, both with & without dance backgrounds & included a beautiful mix of cultures, ages & body types. The soundscape layered stories & accents from around the world. Heartbreaking & triumphant experiences of leaving one country & arriving in another. Most of the voices blended & bumped into each other, but sometimes a line would emerge so clear & send a pang of sadness straight to my heart. We need more of this in Ballarat and we need more people getting out & seeing it. The show was a huge success, packing out both performances at the Post Office Theatre.
I love photographing all types of live performance & was lucky enough to get a sneak peak to create some dance photography images at the last dress rehearsal just before the performance.
BREATHE, WOMAN! is a Regional Training & Engagement project of the Faculty of VCA & MCM funded by the State Government of Victoria, through Creative Victoria. The project was delivered via a partnership between the Victorian College of the Arts and Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council, with support from Regional Arts Victoria.”
Choreographer: Shermaine Heng
All images in this post by Michelle Dunn.
