Dance Shed is announcing a series of three feedback sessions on April 19th, June 14th and August 16th to be held at 6pm in Studio 14 in Chippendale. Thanks to support from Ausdance in the cover of space hire, there is no cost involved for the choreographers. The most exciting development is the involvement of esteemed artist/scholars Pauline Manley, Margie Medlin and Julie-Ann Long, who will act as guest facilitators to shape the audience response process.

Dance Shed has just unveiled a new website that allows for online submission to the series at www.danceshed.com. This application is a formality however, since the initiative is decidedly non-exclusive and runs on a first come, first served basis with three slots allotted to each date. Submissions are now open and will be accepted until one week before each session.

It is the mission of Dance Shed to give witness to works in progress (at any stage) from emerging and established choreographers. Opportunities for presenting work in Sydney are incredibly rare so even getting your work in front of fellow artists can be a treat. The practice of giving and receiving feedback is the essential thrust of this program, and thus far gatherings have used the Liz Lerman Method of Critical Response with great results. With the inclusion of our guest facilitators we hope to draw on their extensive body of knowledge and mature artistic perspective to further elevate the integrity of the process. Dance Shed seeks to find the balance between providing a safe environment where feedback is supportive while at the same time engaging an audience of peers in constructive critical debate that allows the creator to see their own work with fresh eyes.

Dance “showings” are not new to Sydney. They increase the Sydney dance sector’s sustainability and give texture to the scene by keeping medium and small scale “low tech” productions alive. A vibrant dance scene deserves multiple platforms to serve its various networks. Dance Shed is unique in that it is an informal, non-curated and response-based vehicle for devised works.

Showing and feedback is a habit of mine that was encouraged during ten years of working with a US based dance collective. As it turns out, even good habits are hard to break. I began Dance Shed almost as a nesting instinct toward the middle of my pregnancy when it became urgent that I start something before getting too entrenched in motherhood. The idea, however, had a long gestation period before I decided to act on it.

The impetus to start Dance Shed came initially from discussions with Carol Dilly (founder of Dance Briefs – a short showing night that ran three years ago until she moved back to the US). The final sparks of inspiration came from both the Ausdance Speak Up forum and then from attending the events with Daghdha Dance at Critical Path. The Ireland based company has had great success with their Mamuska Nights – informal non-curated bi-monthly showings. There are several such progress showing platforms in Europe, the UK and the US such as The Field, which was started as a service organization for independent artists in New York in 1985 by Australian Wendy Lasica, now a Melbourne based independent dance producer.

It is my hope that Dance Shed encourages dialogue – both in the form of conversations about dance works and in exchanges that contribute to the vitality of the Sydney dance scene as a whole. I envision the series growing to include public showings that engage new audiences. I think that dance work was meant to be made, to be seen, and to be talked about…and then to be reworked and seen again.

The success of this initiative of course depends upon the support that artists can give one another. I hope that fellow dance artists as well as invited guests of the choreographers will attend and contribute to the feedback process in a way that enriches as well as challenges those who take advantage of this chance to be seen. To participate as a choreographer or audience/responder please visit www.danceshed.com or contact Angela at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Angela Hill
Angela Hill is a performer, teacher and award winning choreographer. She is co-director for AH Squared/Dance+Music, a partnership of interactive multimedia performance with musician André Hayter. Her work has been presented in Sydney with Dirty Feet Dance Collective and the Short, Sweet & Dance Festival. Angela was with Circle Modern Dance of Knoxville, Tennessee for ten years and was Associate Artistic Director in 2005. Her choreography has been commissioned by several companies and universities in the U.S. and in New South Wales. She holds a BFA in Dance Education from Arizona State University and has been on the dance faculty of Wesley Institute and the University of Tennessee. She began Dance Shed in 2008.