APATA Podcast

About This Episode:

We were absolutely delighted to have acclaimed contemporary circus director, producer, and performer Natano Fa’anana join us for the APATA Award presentations for performing arts student of the year so we relished the chance to share Natano's journey as an artist and maker with you!

Drawing inspiration from his Samoan roots Natano has carved a unique path that has achieved national and international recognition through his work as a multi-faceted artist for a string of renowned companies.

He earned his stripes as an ensemble member with award winning Meanjin company Polytoxic (2007 – 2012) , co- founded Briefs Factory International in 2008 with brother and fellow performer/director Fez Fa’anana and brother-in-law Mark Winmil. Going on to co-found, direct, produce and perform with internationally acclaimed contemporary company, Casus Creations. It was here Natano solidified his place on the international stage through works such Knee Deep, Driftwood, You & I, Chasing Smoke and Aunties Fiafia.

Natano was Director and co-producer, for Chasing Smoke, Australia’s first all indigenous contemporary circus show which was nominated for a Matilda award and took home the Green Room Award 2017 for Best Circus and Physical Theatre. Currently Natano is producer at Moogahlin Performing Arts company which solely and specifically produces and supports First Nations work.

Independently Natano has a string of awards both as a performer and director. Significantly winning two Matilda Awards for We Live Here in the categories for Best Circus and Physical Theatre Show and Best Director, in conjunction with co-director Bridget Boyle. Based on the stories of parents, siblings, and guests of Hummingbird House, Queensland’s only youth hospice, We Live Hereexplores themes of resilience, chaos, and the beauty of a moment shared. Created by a team of highly skilled young circus performers.

Adding to his folio Natano was awarded the prestigious Sidney Myer Fellowship 2019 acknowledging his contribution to Humanities through the Arts. In 2020 Natano became a recipient for The Churchill Fellowship to further research diversification of the theatre industry through cultural protocol and practise.

In 2021 Natano was a Senior Producer at YIRRAMBOI Festival. Occurring biannually YIRRAMBOI is a First Nations lead and focused arts festival based in Melbourne.

Today Natano juggles all of the above as a director in the ever-shifting landscape of contemporary arts and advocates for change by creating pathways for the next generation of cultural arts practitioners.

Taking the time, where possible, to connect with remote communities across Australia and beyond and communities like ours here at APATA.

Access Pdf Transcript HERE

Visit Natano's Podcast Page HERE

www.apata.com.au

Reach out to Natano Fa'anana

• Casus Creations website: casuscreations.com
• [email protected]

As we open entries for the 2023 APATA National Awards Program we welcome the chance to speak with this year’s APATA Performing Arts Teacher of the Year – Amanda Waddell – Head of Faculty for the Arts at John Paul College, Daisy Hill, QLD.

With a twenty-two-year career teaching the performing arts, Amanda understands the benefits of arts-based learning. Her journey began as a dance student with Broadway dreams, falling in love with the art of teaching, and now leading the arts program at her former alma mater John Paul College.

Amanda’s story weaves itself into the very fabric of APATA educators who love the performing arts and have found themselves thriving, guiding young people through their learning journeys.

A strong advocate for the arts in her schools past and present, Amanda is not shy about standing up for the programs and curriculum that her students care about.

Her passions for teaching and arts education advocacy are deeply intertwined. The day she hangs up her teacher hat, you can bet we’ll see her lending a voice to the cause of having performing arts recognised as a vital part of our schools.

For Amanda, life is one big performing arts lesson, and she is continually inspired to learn and connect to the world through the arts.

We welcome Amanda to our cohort of APATA Award Alumni and celebrate her ongoing journey as a teacher and leader in performing arts education.

Access Amanda Waddell's APATA Podcast Transcript: HERE

Mentions:

John Paul College - www.jpc.qld.edu.au

Amanda Waddell – 2022 APATA Winner Article

Watch Amanda’s Award Presentation: Presented by Michael Sterzinger, Executive Director of Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra and Camerata Managing Producer, Angela Loh: Watch Amanda’s Presentation HERE

2023 APATA Award entries are Now Open: Learn more

APATA: Australian Performing Arts Teachers Association – apata.com.au

Linktree: linktr.ee/apatamedia

APATA Facebook @APATAMedia

APATA Instagram @apatamedia

APATA LinkedIn @apata

About this episode

Amy Tinning shares just how Branches Performing Arts literally branches out across the outback by bringing dance education to students in regional, rural and remote communities.

Along with her fellow teacher Tammy Gordon the pair cover a combined total of 2,000km every fortnight.

That is 300 students across seven towns. Hughenden, Richmond, Cloncurry, Julia Creek, Winton, Longreach and Barcaldine.

Basically they teach a whopping 84 scheduled classes, and 80 private coaching sessions, to students in the Northern Territory, Outback Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

Distance Dance

Significantly Amy first began delivering Distance Dance, Branches' online classes, well before Covid forced us all to transition to remote learning.

Subsequently Branches' Distance Dance and has been a leader in the way they have supported students and families unable to attend in-person dance classes due to pure logistics.

But distance and dance has always gone hand-in-hand for Amy.

As a rural kid who begged her parents to let her attend dance classes Amy inevitably sees no geographical barriers when it comes to learning dance.

Creating Community

Branches Performing Arts is deeply rooted in connecting dance with kids and their communities, and we are in absolute awe of their dedication to helping outback dancers' dreams come true.

Indeed that is part of the reason behind Amy branching out with her Co Stars Dance Company based in Mt Isa.

In this way Amy and Tammy are able to provide developing young artists with professional level performance experience and exposure to high quality dance training and artistic processes.

The team attend comps, perform at various events and are able to experience the magic of performance, Amy's first love.

Please enjoy this conversation with Branches Performing Arts Founder, Amy Tinning.

Visit www.apata.com.au for more.

Mentions:

Branches Performing Arts

• Website: https://branchesperformingarts.dance
• Facebook:@branchesperformingarts
• Instagram: @branches.performingarts
• Distance Dance classes online
• Co Stars Dance Company
• Dirty Feet Outback Dance Festival
• WAAPA
• LINK Dance Company

View PDF Transcript

If you want to know where writing, and a love of writing and the performing arts can take you then check out our convo with Dan Nixon. Dan, Alyssa Smedley and Bryony McLachlan head Pirate Size Productions, a children's television production company creating innovative narratives for television bringing imagined worlds and characters to life. Writing for the screen is committed collaborative journey. Which is something that Dan thrives on. Building relationships and telling stories that are bold, adventurous and that audiences fall in love with fuel the tight knit team at Pirate Size Productions working with such production companies as the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Sesame Studios, ABC Education/ABC Me, Starburns Industries, Pūkeko Pictures, Universal Kids, Screen Australia and R U OK? Day. In an effort to provide innovative, and fun filled creative writing courses and workshops for children and adults Dan also created the Melbourne Young Writers Studio. Their programs are aimed at equipping and inspiring young writers with the skills they need to get writing and to develop their storytelling. While for adults it is a place for emerging writers to hone their craft. There are some great tips in this conversation such as the four main ingredients of a good story and the all important Pitch Bible, which would make a great assignment or project idea for students. Enjoy Dan Nixon and our host Yolande Smith exploring the potential of writing and the arts!

Mentions

Transcript pdf

Mentions

Pirate Size Productions

• Website: www.piratesizeproductions.com
• Instagram: @piratesizeproductions
• Facebook: @piratesizeproductions
• Twitter: @PirateSize
• LinkedIn: @piratesizeproductions

Melbourne Young Writers Studio

• Website: www.mywritersstudio.com.au
• Facebook: @mywritersstudio
• Instagram: @mywritersstudio
• MYWS - Schools Program Guide 2022 - pdf

Other

• Blue Zoo Animation
• Paddington Bear
• Pip and Posy
• Starburns Industries
• Kids Screen Conference
• Stranger Things (Montauk) Pitch Bible – pdf

This episode is hosted by APATA Ambassador Angela Loh, Managing Producer for Camerata, Queensland's Chamber Orchestra in conversation with Eva Spata from Sydney Catholic Schools. Eva works with a dynamic team in strategic direction and implementation for creative and performing arts across the 150 schools in the Sydney Catholic Schools network. Overcoming the challenge of 2020 and 2021 Sydney Catholic Schools was able to introduce a number of "firsts" last year.

1. The first Sydney Catholic Schools Eisteddfod.
2. The first full time performing arts cohort at the newly dedicated performing arts facility at Burwood.
3. Rolling out of the ambitious Amadeus Music Program after a successful pilot, which will eventually see over 30,000 students learning a musical instrument by the beginning of 2024.
4. The digital production of Fame Jr the Musical with 40 students cast from 25 schools
5. The first Virtual Choir.

2022 will welcome the massive School of Rock Arena Spectacular with 4000 student participants from across their network of primary and secondary schools, the continuation of the Eisteddfod and Amadeus programming, growing the fulltime performing arts stream and of course creating performance opportunities for their students across Sydney.

But wait, there's more!

Along with these incredible educational innovations Eva is a versatile performer across many genres and has vast experience as a director, a producer, and a musical director.

We learn Eva's own journey in the performing arts from her early years to high school, inspiring her to earn a BA in Music, a BA in Education and a Master’s in Educational Leadership.

From Eva’s mentors and experiences to her hopes for the future of performing arts education in Australia please enjoy this chat between Angela Loh and Eva Spata celebrating performing arts education.

Mentions:

Transcript pdf HERE

www.apata.com.au

Angela Loh - www.camerata.net.au

Sydney Catholic Schools

• Website: sydcatholicschools.nsw.edu.au
• Facebook: @sydcatholicschools
• Instagram: @sydcatholicschools
• Sydney Catholic Schools Eisteddfod
• Amadeus Music Program
• Southern Cross Catholic College - Burwood campus
• ViVa! Performing Arts Program
• CaSPA
• Fame Jr The Musical
• SCS School of Rock Arena Spectacular

Fusion Vocal Group

Creative Play Puppets has sourced and supplied puppets to Australian puppeteers, schools, teachers, libraries, organisations, specialists and families for over a decade. Travelling near and far (in those heady Covid-free days) to find puppets for all wants and needs Creative Play Puppet's inventory begins with the smallest of finger puppets and nursery rhyme families, glove puppets, marionettes, storybook themes and animals galore, to three-headed dragons, magic trees, and of course their fabulous range of Silly Puppets, whose soft mouth operation can be infused all kinds of emotions making them a hit with educators and therapists alike. We hope this chat with Noel inspires you in your exploration of puppet play.

Creative Play Puppets: www.creativeplaypuppets.com.au

Facebook: @creativeplaypuppets

Contact: [email protected]

Transcript PDF HERE

MENTIONS

German toy fair - The Nuremberg International Toy Fair (German: Spielwarenmesse)

Jeff’s Shed – Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Silly Puppets

Social Emotional Wellbeing

Benefits of puppet play

Sesame Street 50 years

Darci Lynne

Welcome to 2022 and we are back on the mic with Jackson Hughesman, winner of the 2021 APATA Performing Arts Student of the Year Award. Jackson is heading into year twelve at St Patricks College, QLD and we thought it would be a great opportunity to catch up to talk about what winning the APATA award meant to him, and what he hopes to achieve this year. While 2022 has hardly begun Jackson has already played the role of Tevye in Brisbane Junior Theatre's January production of Fiddler on the Roof, with lots more to come. Balancing schoolwork, training, rehearsals, and school captaincy we wanted to share Jackson's perspective as a performing arts student looking at the road ahead. His hopes and dreams, and the realities of studying for a career in the arts during Covid. A fun chat with a bright young man who represents the future of performing arts in this country.

Mentions:

St Patrick's College, Shorncliffe, QLD

Brisbane Junior Theatre

Brisbane Musical Theatre

Lee Lewis: Artistic Director, Queensland Theatre

2021 APATA Performing Arts Student of the Year - Jackson Hughesman: Read more HERE

Jackson Hughesman 2021 Award presentation: Watch HERE

Transcript PDF HERE

From audio theatre experiences to analogue treasure hunts Threshold's indoor adventures have brought the delight and wonder of theatre to thousands of homes around the globe, encouraging deeper connection and helping people find the poetic & playful moments in life's milestones. This episode we speak with award-winning playwright, dramaturg and producer Tahli Corin, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Threshold (in partnership with Sarah Lockwood, Creative Producer for Drop Bear Theatre) and Zoë Barry. Cellist, composer, performance maker and educator, and part of the larger collaborative ensemble responsible for Threshold's lockdown hit, Mountain Goat Mountain. From Kyneton, Victoria Tahli and Zoë share their journeys from early music lessons to performance makers and you will seriously want to sit down with a cuppa and enjoy because the way the move through the world and the richness of how they explore is beautiful to listen to. As Tahli says, "This industry is about relationships, life is about relationships, who you're traveling with and how they build you up and support you along the way. It can be difficult, so find and surround yourself with good people who can build you up and help you to do whatever it is you want to achieve." Head to the article - At the Threshold on APATA.com.au to learn more.

Meet Elena Lambrinos, dance educator and dance researcher. •BA in Sociology and Gender Studies. •Masters in Cultural Studies exploring dance at the intersection of style, identity and belonging. •PhD in the Sociology of education exploring children's dance classes.Do you know what it feels like to want to be a part of something so bad, to want to learn and be amongst this thing you love, only to be let down at every turn. This was Lambrinos' experience with dance class, and it wasn't just a one-time thing. "I always wanted to dance and always loved dancing, singing & acting. I tried dance so many times as a kid. As a little 4year old, again at 8,9 & 10 and again at 12 & 13. I tried so many places. I wanted to dance, and I kept getting drawn back into it, but I never really felt like I belonged. I never felt like it was something I could be successful at, or even felt that I was being acknowledged or valued." Now as Founder and Director of Dance Domain in Sydney's Inner West and Disrupt Dance, Elena is on a mission to inspire dance educators to think about "Dance Done Different". "Those experiences I had as a child where I didn't feel like I belonged, I didn't feel like I was part of something, that dance kept pushing me away. All of those experiences crystalised into the point where instead of thinking I was the problem, I started thinking...maybe how we do dance is the problem..." At Dance Domain Elena offers inspiring and uplifting classes for students of all ages that boost confidence, promote diversity, and instil a lifelong love of learning. The studio played a large role in her PhD and led her to found Disrupt Dance delivering research-backed training for forward thinking dance educators. This year's Disrupt Dance Summit is all about amplifying voices that are disrupting the status quo and who are making changes for the better, expanding our notion of 'safe dance practice '. Read the Disrupt Dance Summit Article in APATA Studio News for more details (Virtual Conference 3 September AEST - tickets $57 individual or $97 for a group) DanceDomain.com.au offers online classes and in-person (pending current 2021 Covid lockdown restrictions) DisruptDance.com Professional Development courses and the Disrupt Dance Summit info. Keep up to date with the latest presenters and summit news via Facebook @disruptdance and Instagram @disruptdance

This episode we speak with Dr Kristy Seymour, founder and head trainer at Circus Stars on the Gold Coast. Founded in 2013 it was the very first circus school in the world to be dedicated to children on the autism spectrum. Circus Stars classes are inclusive, creative, risky and challenging all in a fun and supportive gentle environment and in 2017 Circus Stars was awarded an Autism Queensland Creative Futures Recognition award. Inspired by Dr Reg Bolton's theory of the 5 key elements of why circus works for children, the Circus Stars Program aims to help young people have fun, learn to take safe risks, build trust in teamwork, encourage individuality, and explore working hard on their skills. Working her way up from a 19 year old drama and physical theatre student to a professional circus artist, Kristy has worked and trained with Flipside Circus, CIRCA & Vulcana Circus and now also lectures at Griffith University and Griffith College on the Gold Coast. Dr Seymour has worked tirelessly to create the academic research to prove the Circus Stars method to the clinical and autism communities to the point where her work has been added to Cirque du Soleil's social development department, Cirque du Monde and is now a recommended and reputable program for families and also practitioners looking to expand their own practice by attending the annual Circus Stars' Professional Development Series. What we love about Kristy and her work with Circus Stars is that her own love of circus - the rebellious, adventurous spirit of circus - embodies everything that she does and infuses her belief that children of all abilities, but especially autism, should have access to the skills, risk and freedom that circus provides. The Circus Stars Professional Development Series - July 25 & 31, 2021. CLICK HERE for details For more information on Kristy's work and research visit www.apata.com.au or www.circusstarsasd.com