DAIR Round #1

DAIR Recipients Announced

Michelle Silby, Director of Ausdance NSW, is proud to announce and congratulate the 6 recipients for Round 1 of Dance Artists In Residence (DAIR) 2017.

As a result of their impressive applications, a panel of external industry experts have selected these six artists to receive residency space in-kind so that they may research, develop and show their work in metropolitan and regional areas. 

Ausdance NSW is supported by the NSW Government through Arts NSW. This initiative is facilitated through Ausdance NSW in conjunction with our venue partners without whom this initiative would not be possible. Many thanks go to ReadyMade Works, The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE), Bankstown Arts Centre – care of Bankstown Youth Development Services, and Catapult and for providing Ausdance NSW with the ability to offer space to these artists for their project and practice development. 

Please contact Ausdance NSW if you wish to register your interest for future rounds of DAIR and look out for the exciting outcomes of what these artists achieve as a result of these residencies.


SUE HEALEY  is a choreographer, educator, filmmaker and installation artist based in Sydney with over 35 years experience in dance and moving image. Her films have screened in over 30 countries and broadcast by Australian and European television networks. Sue will spend a week as Dance Artist in Residence (DAIR) at the Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE) and a week at the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) collaborating with Australian dance legend Eileen Kramer on the creation of an installation work. Eileen’s 75-year career as a writer, dancer, painter, costume designer and choreographer began in 1939 with the Bodenweiser Ballet. Following their closure in 1959 Eileen travelled through India, Pakistan, Africa and Europe working as a dancer. Eileen has returned to live in Australia and is now aged 101.

CALLUM MOONEY is a Sydney based choreographer, dancer and actor. He is inspired by art in dance, as well as film-making. Callum danced in Marko Panzic‘s The Dream Dance Company for their 2016 and 2017 season and has starred in Billy Elliot the Musical and ABC’s Dance Academy. Callum trained and taught at Studio 68 and Pineapple Dance Studios in London and has also done short courses at NIDA. He is currently completing a Diploma in Film and Interactive Media. Callum will spend a week as Dance Artist in Residence (DAIR) at ReadyMade Works on a project called WeAreSound.

TAREE SANSBURY is an emerging freelance artist and NAISDA Dance College graduate. Taree is a Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri woman from South Australia. Taree has performed in Force Majeure’s Culminate/Cultivate program and has undertaken an internship with Australian Dance Theatre. Taree has worked with some of Sydney’s most highly acclaimed independent makers including Victoria Hunt, Vicki Van Hout and Martin Del Amo. She performed in the 2016 Next Wave Festival and AFTERGLOW presented by PACT for Thomas E. S. Kelly in his debut full-length work [MIS]CONCEIVE and more recently Taree was a performer in Branch Nebula’s Snake Sessions for the Artlands Festival in Dubbo, NSW. Taree will spend a week as Dance Artist in Residence (DAIR) at Bankstown Arts Centre researching and developing a new work titled Mi:wi

IVEY WAWN is an independent dancer working with contemporary practice in a range of contexts. In 2016 Ivey was supported by the Australia Council for the Arts to participate in the DanceWEB Scholarship in the frame of ImPulsTanz, Vienna. She also presented work at CRACK Theatre Festival, AirSpace Projects, Shopfront Contemporary Arts and Performance, and at ReadyMade Works (Happy Hour.) She has received continued support from Critical Path and is developing “Adventure Dances; summoning sensation” with the support of DirtyFeet. Ivey will spend a week as Dance Artist in Residence (DAIR) at ReadyMade Works collaborating with other dancers on a work for the Underbelly Arts Festival.

RAKINI DEVI places herself as a hybrid figure in her dance performance personae and inquires into her own identity as an artist originating from the East and located in the West. Her method draws on the grammar of Bharatnatyam and Odissi Indian classical dance as inspiration where the fundamentals of Indian classical dance are explored and given prominence. Rakini will spend a week as Dance Artist in Residence (DAIR) at the RAD to further develop a solo dance work to be presented by FORM in September.

LIZ LEA is a performer and choreographer based in Canberra and NSW, directing Liz Lea Dance. Liz was based in Europe for 20 years and worked for the Royal Opera House, Ranjabati Sircar, Imlata, Sankalpam, English National Opera and English Bach Festival. Her speciality is working with classical Indian dance and martial arts as a solo practitioner. She directed Canberra Dance Theatre for 6 years, founding The GOLD Company for dancers over 55 which commissioned over 14 internationally recognised choreographers. Liz founded the DANscienCE Festival, and in March 2017 will run The BOLD festival celebrating the legacy of dance. Liz will spend a week as Dance Artist in Residence (DAIR) at the Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE) working on a new one woman show titled RED.