what has been before. Why would we
interesting arts. A desired artistic starting
want to make a square peg fit in a round
place that most artists crave and seek out
hole anyway? How boring. How tried
and for us, just is. Yes, it can be complex,
and tested is that? So instead of ‘fitting
unknown and challenging. But hasn’t
within’, we claim the space that is and
history continually demonstrated over and
when needed, we propose, and make
over again that the birthing place of great
more room. We demand to move past the
ideas is often cultivated with the misfits,
traditional constructs of Contemporary
the fringe dwellers and those that aren’t
dance that we have been accustomed to in
always ‘seen’?
Western dance cultures. This progressive view of the arts landscape is the very core
Another area of contention that I am
of what excites and liberates my arts
faced with on a regular basis is the idea
practice daily.
that ‘integrated dance’ is exclusively community-based or a form of dance
In connecting with other artists who
therapy, meaning that it is considered
identify or have lived experiences of dis-
a ‘good cause’, or for recreational or
ability, I have truly found my tribe. They
therapeutic purposes only. I am often
have opened up and activated areas of
confronted and taken back with peoples’
my creativity that had previously been
overwhelming enthusiasm when I tell
unengaged. For me, the more diversity
them I work with artists with and without
that is present in the room, the more my
disability. With the best of intentions,
artistic self and practice makes sense
people often respond by saying, ‘oh
to me. I am often working with people
wow, that’s so inspirational’ or ‘wow,
with cognitive developmental delays,
I don’t know how you do it’, or ‘wow,
neurological disorders, complex mental
that’s just so lovely that you can give
health conditions or different physical
back like that’. I am challenged by these
anatomies. Each person contributes by
preconceptions of who and what dance
bringing their unique life experience and
is for, and I don’t really know where to
viewpoint, thus creating a radical creative
place these comments. Regardless of the
environment. This space has sharpened my
best of intentions, it is these comments
ability to be more intuitive, responsive and
that continually remind me that we have
flexible and presented non-conventional
a very long way to go in Australia before
ways of processing, problem solving and
artists with disability are seen as part of and
creative decision making. Together, this
intrinsic to the artistic fabric that makes
rich diversity creates unexpected and
up the ever expanding arts and cultural
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