People
Committee
Dancehouse is a non-profit association, incorporated in Victoria. It is overseen by a committee of management, comprised of members from both the arts and business sectors. The members bring their expertise and experience to the management of the organisation, to support the resourcing and development of the artistic program. The committee meets monthly.
Committee Members
Shelley Lasica, CHAIR - Choreographer
Nick Hays, DEPUTY CHAIR - Philanthropy Manager, The Australian Ballet
John Paolacci, Treasurer - Partner, ShineWing
Eva Bajoras - HR/Management Consultant
Veronica Bolzon - Executive Porducer, Yirramboi Festival
Dean Hampel:- Cofounder, Localing Private Tours
Penny Hueston - Senior Editor, The Text Publishing Co.
James Ostroburski- Chief Executive, Kooyong Group (leave of absence)
Sandra Parker - Choreographer, Pedagogue
Joanne White - Choreographer, Pedagogue
Dancehouse Staff
Artistic Director & CEO: Angela Conquet
Angela was appointed new artistic director in July 2011. Angela came to Dancehouse and Australia from her work as Artistic Director for Dance at Mains d'Oeuvres Paris - a major multi-arts cultural centre and a pioneer amongst independent art spaces in France – where she presented and commissioned over 100 works by mainly emerging dance artists. She led several international projects, was part of different juries and peer panels (French Ministry of Culture, City of Paris Arts Grants panel, international boards) and represented France in the Aerowaves network. She is acknowledged for recognising and supporting dance artists who take creative risks, and for her bold and creative approach to linking artists with performance contexts or new communities. She has a MA degree in International Cultural Management ( Paris 8 University) and in Applied Languages. Before working in the independent dance sector, her professional experiences took her from the French Cultural Centers in Eastern Europe to the Council of Europe. She is also a translator and interpreter.
Program Producer: Ashley Dyer
Ashley Dyer is a producer, performance maker and workshop facilitator based in Melbourne, Australia. Although not a classically trained a dancer, singer, actor, visual artist or writer, over the past ten years he has developed his work extensively in these areas, borrowing from their traditions. He was an Associate Producer at Next Wave Festival 2012 and founded and program managed Erskineville's Tiny Stadiums Festival in its first two years. He was awarded a Creative Australia Fellowship by the Australia Council for the Arts in 2013.
His most recent works include: J R Brennan's The Chat, a theatre performance featuring ex-offenders about the parole process presented at both Arts House and La Boite Theatre; Tremor a dance performance/installation about vibration, Arts House; SK!N a dance collaboration with Malaysian based TerryandtheCuz about human trafficking presented at APW Kuala Lumpur and OzAsia festival; and with Amy Spiers and Catherine Ryan, No More Public Space, Only Public Order (Water Cannon), Salamanca Arts Centre. Ashley joined Dancehouse in 2017.
Marketing & Communications Manager: Audrey Schmidt
communications@dancehouse.com.au
Audrey Schmidt joined Dancehouse in 2016 as Administration and Communications Manager, before taking up the role of Marketing and Communications Manager in 2017. In 2011, she graduated from the University of Melbourne with a double major in Film, Media and Cultural Studies and Linguistics and is also a writer and editor. She is Co-Founder of Minority Report, Co-Edited the third issue of Dissect Journal, curated their web program and exhibition, and has written for various other publications including Art Monthly, Art Collector, Art + Australia, un Magazine and Memo Review. Audrey has presented at the AAANZ Conference (2015), Image|Space|Body, the Victorian College of the Arts (2016), the National Gallery of Victoria (2014), was a part of the Gertrude Contemporary Emerging Writers program under the mentorship of art historian Rex Butler in 2015, and currently sits on the FYTA (GR) Board of Advisors.
Development Manager: Jonathan Homsey
Jonathan Homsey is an arts maker and manager interested in the intersection of street dance, visual art and social engagement. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the United States of America, he immigrated to Australia in 2010 where he is a graduate of Victorian College of the Arts (BA Dance) and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (MA Arts Management with Distinction). As a producer he is passionate about connecting communities through art, and has worked for organisations such as Phillip Adams Balletlab, Ausdance New South Wales and Victoria, and Gertrude Street Projection Festival. He currently is exploring academic and curatorial work; he is the 2018 recipient of Blindside Gallery's Emerging Curatorial Mentorship. Academically, he has lectured in dance and arts management at University of Melbourne, University of Auckland as part of the World Alliance for Arts Education Conference,Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and JMC Academy.
Operations Manager: Olivia Hutchinson
Olivia Hutchinson joined Dancehouse as Administration Officer in 2016 after completing her Masters of Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne. Olivia is an experienced and enthusiastic arts administrator, working with numerous commercial visual arts galleries across Melbourne over the last several years. Olivia has a keen interest in the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary art and has segued into the world of dance at Dancehouse with this mentality. Olivia also received a Diploma in Business Administration and Management from Martin College last year and has a passion for Human Resources.
Production Manager: Georgia Rann
Upon receiving her diploma of live production, theatre and events in 2011, Georgia Rann has continued to develop creatively within the art of theatre based lighting design & production. Her Australian lighting and stage credits include collaborations with companies such as Stork productions, Fairly Lucid productions (Raton Laveur, The Reckoning, Member), Travis Cotton's Robots Vs Art, Chambermade Opera (The Minotaur trilogy, Turbulence, Opera for a small mammal & Opera therapea) as well as running numerous venues in festivals & fringes nation wide. She is active as a freelance and collaborative designer & creative producer in commissioned public art, botanic instillation and living sculptures. Her interests conscious design as well as repurposing objects & waste unfold in projects such as sustainable building, set design and sculpture.
Venue Manager: Jill Chrisp
Jill Chrisp is a performer, graphic artist, builder of stuff, and general all-rounder based in Melbourne, Australia. Jill joined Dancehouse as Venue Manager in August 2018 after working with Yarra Council in Venues and Events for the past 5 years, managing a variety of functions from corporate events, to Bongo's Bingo, to LGBTQI Celebrations.
In her free time, Jill plays in bands and dabbles in home recording, utilising skills she picked up while studying Sound Production at SAE. She is also a Performer and Graphic Artist for the comedy a cappella group, ShaniaChoir, who you may have seen at Melbourne and Perth Fringe Festivals or Melbourne Comedy Festival. Jill has a very keen interest in construction, carpentry, and design, fuelling dreams of building her very own tiny house in the coming years. She's passionate about neatness and organisation, and has a knack for thrifty interior decorating, which all aid her in creating clever designs for small spaces.
Dancehouse Creative Advisor
Philipa Rothfield is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy program, La Trobe University. She is a dance reviewer for RealTime arts magazine and Momm magazine, Korea. She is co-convenor of the Choreography and Corporeality working group, International Federation of Theatre Research. She has been dancing on and off for some decades. As a philosopher, she writes on French philosophy, political philosophy, feminism and postmodernism, specialising in philosophy of the body. She is currently writing a book on dance and philosophy. She has published on dance in relation to Merleau-Ponty, Whitehead, Nietzsche, Klossowski and Ravaisson.
Bookkeeping: Arunya Trezise (Infinite Bookeeping)
Graphic design: Kaitlyn Hopkins
Photographer: Gregory Lorenzutti
Videographer: Cobie Orger
Flowers: Flowerbird
Cleaners: Wellspring Cleaning Group
