Q: What happens when you combine dance, drama, music, multimedia and a whole lot of circus apparatus?
A: An unforgettable weekend of creative collaboration!
Certificate IV Developing Artists Jesse Murray and Janaya Lamb represented NAISDA Dance College alongside trainer Craig Bary and CEO Kim Walker at the 2019 Arts 8 Collaboration in May.
Arts 8 is a collaboration between Australia’s eight elite training organisations: The Australian Ballet School, Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), Australian Youth Orchestra, Flying Fruit Fly Circus, National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), NAISDA Dance College and NIDA.
Once a year, two student representatives from each organisation come together in a shared space for a creative collaboration based around a chosen theme. The end result is an artistic work incorporating all of the unique performance mediums these organisations champion – from dance, drama and movement to film and music.
This year’s program saw students work together from Friday the 3rd of May through to Sunday 5th of May to create a piece around the theme of Belonging. It was a fantastic weekend of creativity, partnership, exploring and soaring heights, giving participants the chance to learn about new mediums and network with industry peers.
But the significance of this annual event does not end there. The collaboration is also an opportunity for the arts organisations to exchange ideas and discuss issues facing the industry.
Throughout the long weekend, representative trainers from each organisation discussed training philosophies, pedagogy and difficulties they face within ever-changing environments. The heads of these organisations also attended to discuss the bigger picture surrounding the future of arts training in Australia.
NAISDA would like to thank all of the Arts 8 organisations for contributing to yet another successful Arts 8 Collaboration. This event continues to provide an important platform for creative discussion, development and exploration.