Zane has faith in his artistic spirit
TOWNSVILLE audiences can experience a thoughtprovoking project in an intimate display on Friday.
Dancenorth has welcomed artist Zane Saunders as the first successful 2018 Indigenous Cross- artform Residency.
Mr Saunders travelled from Kuranda to collaborate with Dancenorth for two weeks and adapt choreography and concepts for his work Spirit.
“Spirit is about an idea, a personal movement for myself to do with spirituality and embracing one’s own Aboriginality or origins,” Mr Saunders said.
“It’s about a way of making sense of a lot of the political and social issues out there in the current landscape.
“Sometimes as a person of faith you question and wonder how you can work your way through that or engage with a lot of these issues.”
Mr Saunders is of Aboriginal descent and identifies with the Butchulla and Goongari people.
He said being in a new environment was constructive when creating new concepts and art.
“In a way this is sort of new for me, developing this kind of work and writing about myself and what I do,” he said.
“It’s been quite unique and I have really loved the process.”
Dancenorth artistic director Kyle Page said he and Mr Saunders first met about 18 months ago and kept in contact.
“We’re very lucky to have Zane join us here in Townsville as part of the ART program, and this is the first year the residencies are fully funded,” he said.
“For us to be able to provide Zane with this opportunity to spend two weeks here in Townsville working in the beautiful Dancenorth building is really quite extraordinary.
“We’re very proud and very happy to have been made available to him.
“Zane is clearly one of the most exciting and progressive indigenous contemporary art practitioners in the country at the moment.
“That’s been made clear through the support of the Australia Council.”
Dancenorth has expanded its Artist Residency in the Tropics ( ART) program to offer opportunities to Queensland- based indigenous groups and individuals for the first time, along with two dance residencies and two community residencies held between April and December.
Catch the intimate performance of Spirit on Friday October 26, from 5.30pm at the Dancenorth Theatre in Townsville, followed by an artist Q& A run by Perc Tucker Regional Gallery director Jonathan McBurnie.