Last month, Co3 Contemporary Dance sent four Teaching Artists on an inaugural tour of the Pilbara, spending two weeks working with students at schools in Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Karratha. As part of Co3’s CONNECT26 program, the artists visited six schools and a community centre. They engaged with a total of 840 students, introducing them to contemporary dance through workshops designed to build confidence.
We caught up with Teaching Artists, Estelle, Madilynn, Tom and Logan to hear about the program and their experiences on tour.
Tell us a little about CONNECT26, and the way Co3 Teaching Artists work with community and schools…
CONNECT26 takes Teaching Artists like us to schools and communities across WA delivering dance workshops and residencies. We are so lucky to meet hundreds of kids from primary to high school age and share what it is that we love about contemporary dance in a positive, inclusive and creative environment.
We use dance as a tool to connect with the kids and to run a learning space that promotes movement, creative thinking and a kinesthetic connection to ourselves and the world around us.
We learn so much from these kids! It’s a joy to see them grow in their confidence, take on new challenges and dance with us. We hope they might come away feeling like dance and the performing arts is something they can pursue and is accessible to them – maybe even a lifelong adventure!
– Estelle Brown
What felt different about working in the regions? Where did you adapt and what surprised you?
Usually when undertaking the CONNECT2026 program we are able to work with the students over a course of a few weeks, building their confidence, creative minds, and understanding of contemporary dance. Travelling to the Pilbara and having the opportunity to engage with over 800 students, meant that we strived to ensure the limited time we had with the enthusiastic youth of the Pilbara created the same results of expanding their connection to each other, the space, and the world surrounding us.
Estelle, Logan, Tom, and I were able to play with the flow of the classes to find what best worked for the regional students, with the hope that they would find the experience as beneficial and fun as we found it teaching them. We found that a high energy and fast paced class resulted in the students feeling like they accomplished a lot over the time we had together, while pushing past boundaries to establish a safe environment of self-expression. Seeing the creative minds of the students in the Pilbara while being surrounded by the stunning nature was truly an inspirational experience!
– Madilynn Bayliss
The tour concluded with two large community workshops at Karratha’s Red Earth Arts Precinct. What was most memorable about these, both for you as a Teaching Artist, and for those who came along?
The two community workshops were held on the REAP main stage, which was awesome to occupy a workshop in such a large performance space. What stood out most was seeing young people in the community connect and interact with contemporary dance in new ways; they were curious, energetic and eager to engage with the Co3 repertoire.
As Teaching Artists, it’s incredibly rewarding to open the floor and share space for young people to dance. It’s a reminder that opportunities like this are important for regional communities.
– Tom Mullane
You had a pretty wild week to be up North with Cyclone Narelle brewing. How did the weather impact your trip?
I actually left before the cyclone started to kick up, [but] we did get some fantastic Summer/Autumn northern storm rainfall as we were driving back to Karratha from Tom Price on an unsealed red dirt access road. We had to navigate some pretty heavy rain, bumps and dips and flash flooding on the roads for a good hour or two. Some shared focus and input on decision making definitely kept us feeling connected and integrated through the driving experience. From what I heard in our comms chat, the people that were still up there kept a continual check in and offering of time and space and connection during the lock-in cyclone days before they flew back home safely.
– Logan Ringshaw
L-R: Co3 Teaching Artists Madilynn Bayliss, Estelle Brown and Tom Mullane.
