Assembly 197 - the home of Tasdance, Situate and Artery.

ASSEMBLY 197 is the connective tissue between artists, audiences, and communities. The streams of activity at ASSEMBLY 197 are Tasdance, Situate and Artery 🖤 Image Descriptions: 1 - ASSEMBLY 197 is the home of Tasdance, Situate, Artery. 2 - ASSEMBLY 197 - The name of our centre and the brand under which we present large-scale multi-artform works. 3 - Tasdance - Makes professional and community work with a dance focus. 4 - Situate - Our professional development program, and produces the work of the artists participating in the program. 5 - Artery - Encompasses our community and pathways programs. #ASSEMBLY197 #A197 #Tasdance #TasmanianDance

Meet our first SITUATE 26–27 Lead Provocateur. We're thrilled to welcome Sue Giles AM to the SITUATE family. Sue has spent decades at the forefront of theatre for young audiences, as Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Polyglot Theatre, she created over 40 works that toured to more than 20 countries across 6 continents. Her belief that children deserve bold, participatory, power-conscious art has shaped stages around the world. Today, Sue carries that vision onto the global stage as President of ASSITEJ International, the world body for theatre and performing arts for young audiences, a role that reflects the international reach of her advocacy and her deep commitment to young people as cultural participants, not just audiences. A Member of the Order of Australia, a Green Room Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and co-author of Next Generation Now, a national strategic report on children, young people and the arts. Sue thinks globally and makes work that lands locally. We couldn't be more excited to have her energy and inspiration as part of SITUATE 26–27.

DOUBLE SLINK NORTHWEST TOUR UNCOILING DANCE ACROSS TASMANIA Led by ADAM WHEELER & SARAH GROTH Featuring LILY ALCOCK, IZZY LOCKETT, STANLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL, KING ISLAND DISTRICT SCHOOL Head to: .au/doubleslink A double-bill offering of dance. Act One: A new work made by and for the students of Stanley Primary School and King Island District School, exploring our need for connection through embodying our love of Slinkys. Act Two: A professional duet that uses Slinkys as a tactile partner to explore analogue play and the human need for connection in a world shaped by screens. #tasdance #assembly197 #tasmaniandance #a197 #regionaldance

Our friends at Dance Maker’s Collective are bringing their renowned uplifting immersive dance experience, ALL IN, to Launceston on the 23rd & 24th of July.  We are seeking a bunch of young people to join in on the fun and be part of the action. No experience required, just the eagerness to learn from some of Australia’s most outstanding dancers, connect with a terrific interstate dance company, and share joy through dance. Our Call-Out Workshop is happening: FRIDAY 15th of MAY | 4:00pm-7:00pm | Albert Hall (enter from the City Park) To register, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/nEeDZokw4mae2DkG8 Please don’t hesitate to contact Adam at [email protected] if you have any questions or require any assistance. A bit more information from DMC Check out this video /dancemakerscollective/allinyoungpeople We have some choreography we will teach you that comes towards the end of the big dance section, in the first third of the show. We will have you sitting in the audience, and when it gets to your moment, you will leave your seats and dance right onto the floor with us! After that, you will head back to the audience, and there will be another section of the show, continuing with DMC and some performances by local groups.  Some people from the groups we engage with for the show will also be interviewed at the pre-tour meetings. These recordings will be used to create vox-pop snippets that will be edited into the soundscape section, which brings us to the ‘all in’ section of the work, where all the performers (DMC, local group/s and you!) collect on the floor and transition to the final participatory section of the show. This is when you will join us again and boogie until the end of the show, as we invite the entire audience to join us.  We are so excited to work with you and have you become a part of the show! Image: ALL IN promotional material by Joshua Morris #dancemakerscollective #theatrenorth #tasdance #tasmania #launceston

'I really love asking them to be brave, and then making them feel safe and supported by me, and the room, and each other.' This is Gabe Comerford, our Artistic Associate, talking about what happens when we bring dance into Tasmanian schools. Asking young people to be brave is easy. Creating the conditions where they actually can be? That's the work. And it's why what we do matters. Our Young Hearts, Big Futures campaign is raising funds to keep this work alive and growing, in classrooms, in communities, and across the regions that need it most. Every dollar donated before 31st May is matched by Creative Australia's Plus1 program. Link in bio to find out more and support the campaign: /young-hearts-big-futures

Join us this Thursday for a special Ballet Workshop with guest teacher Kyle! TIME: 6:45–8:00pm WHERE: Assembly 197 The class is open to movers of all experience levels. 👏 Kyle began his training at Dubbo Ballet Studio before continuing at the Queensland Dance School of Excellence, where he received his RAD Solo Seal and won the McDonalds Ballet Scholarship. He later trained at The Australian Ballet School, graduating with an Advanced Diploma and receiving the Graeme Murphy Award for Excellence in Contemporary Dance. Throughout his career, Kyle has performed with Queensland Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Cork City Ballet, Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, and New English Contemporary Ballet, alongside many other companies both nationally and internationally. He also danced in “DanceLines” in London, a Royal Opera House initiative led by Wayne McGregor supporting emerging choreographic talent. Alongside performing, Kyle is an experienced teacher of classical ballet and contemporary dance, holding a Graduate Diploma of Elite Dance Instruction from The Australian Ballet School, a Cert IV in Training and Assessment, and certification as a GYROTONIC® instructor. We are so excited to welcome Kyle into the space for this special workshop ✨ See you on Thursday! #tasdance #tasmaniandance #regionaldance #ballet

We believe creative arts change lives and next Saturday @methodplusaction is helping us prove it. Join us at a DJ MetCon sessions on 16th May (7:30am + 8:30am) supporting our Young Hearts, Big Futures campaign. Funds raised go directly to dance, movement and arts experiences for young people across Tasmania, including those in rural areas and at Ashley Youth Detention Centre, where these opportunities are hardest to reach. Every dollar is matched by Creative Australia's Plus1 program. Your support goes further than you think. The class is free and anyone is welcome, the only catch? You need to wear anything but gym clothes! 📅 Saturday 16 May ⏰ 7:30am + 8:30am 📍 Method+Action: .au 🔗 assembly197.com/young-hearts-big-future

We’re proud to be a part of the Experimental Commissioning Consortium (ECC) – a new multi-year, multi-organisation initiative that scaffolds independent artists to make ambitious work. The ECC is a newly convened group of organisations around Australia devoted to the development and presentation of independent and experimental art and performance. It seeks to foster cross-sector collaboration to generate increased mobility and opportunity for artists. The program includes three pillars: an experimental laboratory to incubate work, a commissioning circle to bring work into development, and a national touring network. Participating organisations: Abbotsford Convent (@abbotsfordconvent ), Arts House (@artshouse ), Assembly 197 (@assembly.197 ), Cementa (@cementafestival ), Dancehouse (@dancehouse.melb ), Metro Arts (@metroarts ), PACT (@pact_sydney ), Performance Space, PICA (@pica_perth ), Punctum (@punctuminc ), Superposition (@superpositionfestival ), The Substation (@thesubstation ), The Unconformity (@theunconformity ), Utp (@utp___ ), Vitalstatistix (@vitalstatistix_ ), Wired Lab (@thewiredlab ). The ECC is supported by Creative Australia (@creative.australia ). 🔗 Find out more about the pilot program and participating artists at the link in our bio 📸 Bob Cartledge

$25 — one young person in a workshop $200 — a dance session in a regional community $1,000 — a place in a SITUATE professional development lab Every single dollar donated to our Young Hearts, Big Futures campaign is matched, so whatever you give, it works twice as hard for young people in our region. We have one month left. Link in bio or see the campaign here: /young-hearts-big-futures 📷 Images 1 & 2 of Situate 24 25 by Melanie Kate, Images 3 & 4 of Danceweekender by Melanie Kate, Image 5 of Launnie Can Dance

Today we bid not a goodbye but a see you soon to two dear artists to Assembly, Tasdance, and Situate. Caitlin and Gabriel Comerford have called Lutruwita/Tasmania home since 2016 and have been a staple of integrity, generosity, and sheer creative passion to all who have connected with them over this time. Not only were we privileged to share our studio and offices with Caitlin as the AD of Stompin, but Caitlin also collaborated on the first Tasdance and Stompin show, REACTOR and was pivotal on MUSTER, BEACON and PRIME. Her infectious energy will be deeply missed at A197. Since 2017, Gabriel has been a maker, performer, educator, and carer for this company. As a senior artist with us, he has contributed in multiple ways to nearly every project and program over the last 10 years. He has played a critical role in establishing the culture and ethos of this organisation. This post doesn’t come close to sharing the impact this family has had on this company and this community. As mentioned above, we sincerely believe this is not goodbye, but see you soon. We wish you all the best in your next adventure in the desert. Mparntwe/Alice Springs is lucky to have you. Adam, Emma, Lucy, Cat, Sarah, Martin and the whole A197 team.

We're back in the studio for TERM 2 next week! Here's our lineup of dance classes for young people: WEDNESDAYS: Commercial Dance with Bernita Open to ages 7–17, Commercial is for the movers that love to dance to their favourite tracks, choreograph routines and learn new skills! SATURDAYS: Dance Discovery with Izzy A class for small humans with big imaginations! At Dance Discovery, your dancer can explore creative movement and contemporary dance in a fun and non-competitive space. 🚀 Not sure which class is for your dancer? Pop in for a free trial, register now at tasdance.com.au/tdsd ✏️ 👏 FREE TRIALS available for new students 👏 Ticket to Play vouchers accepted 👏 Non-competitive and creative focus Don't worry big kids, we have adult casual classes too! Check out our website for more. 📸 Photo by @nickhvisuals

Situate 26 27 - applications close tonight at midnight! Are you a Tasmanian artist working across any discipline? SITUATE 26–27: Young Worlds is calling for expressions of interest from emerging and mid-career artists ready to develop bold, ethical and deeply collaborative work with children and young people. Four Tasmanian artists will be supported through a two-year journey of labs, mentorship, R&D and potential commissioning. Don't let this one slip by. Apply here👇 situate.org.au/situate26-27 📷 by Melanie Kate Creative