December 3rd 2022
Hobart Library

Collective Writing – Collective Dancing explored the freedom and relationship between story writing/poetry, language and movement.

Through a swift and focussed creative process the fourteen young people of Junior Company 2022 simultaneously produced a book and a performance of individual stories - written, illustrated and embodied. Over a period of seven weeks, meeting for 6.5 hours each week the company members were led by AD Isabella Stone and local independent dancer and artist Gabby Martin, ambitiously producing creative offerings in both an ephemeral and permanent form.

The project started with workshops with local organisation and our partner for this project, Story Island Project to develop stories, poems and illustrations led by their very awesome Story Leader Bonnie Que. These then became the foundations and beginnings for movement and choreography, culminating in a 30 minute site specific performance taking over two levels of the Hobart Library.

The stories written and embodied are wild and varying, occupied with darkness, honesty, friendship, thoughts of the future and many animals.

Alongside of performances, we celebrated a first ever DRILL book launch for the publication of Collective Writing - Collective Dancing.

Junior Company 2022 was assisted through Arts Tasmania, the City of Hobart, and is delivered in partnership with The Story Island Project and Libraries Tasmania.

CREDITS

Choreographers
Isabella Stone
Gabby Martin
+
Junior Company members.

Story Leader - writing workshops with The Story Island Project
Bonnie Que

Volunteers
Evelyn Bryan + Adriana Bunda

Performers
Andrea Butchart, Ayla Davari, Charlotte Gilbert, Dottie Charlton, Frieda Culpit - Sumner, Grace Vincent, Gracie Kuylaars, Hannah Davari, Neo Culpit - Sumner, Pearl Smithies, Peppa Baldwin, Sylvia Wright, Vivienne Ellis, Woolf Wakelam

Rehearsal Photography

Gracie-Lee Jean