They Gather
An Ongoing International Multi-Modal Project
Responding to shared and personal need, crisis, and underbellies of now, ‘They Gather’ creates gatherings: in vulnerability, in celebration, to be heard, and to find meaning. Blending visceral and sensitive movement with original soundscapes and voice, 'They Gather' asks us to engage with each other, our environment and our humanity.
'They Gather' is an international, independent project creating a series of performance, participatory and immersive works. These interrelated works explore the boundaries between audience, participant, and performer in public, festival, cultural and digital spaces subsequently creating dialogue with environments, societies, politics, and histories and creating speculative futurologies. 'They Gather' aims to empower and create dialogue around the complexities and polarities of contemporary living.
‘They Gather’ was developed through observations formed across 20 years of socially and politically engaged artistic practice, ideas and reflections on the relationship between the individual and the collective, and being inspired by Nonviolent Communication and the feminist philosophy “the personal is political”.
“They Gather...has the potential to encapsulate global politics and humanity's empathy in intimate and bespoke site activations, in theatre performances and community engagement programs. The work places people at its core...It is...an important contribution to the canon of performance art.” Kate Usher, Festival Director, Supercell Festival Of Contemporary Dance
Bridget Fiske & Joseph Lau with Stelios Manousakis & Stephanie Pan and Collaborating Performers
MODULES: 'A Concept Album Of Architectural Choreographies: A guerrilla audio tour in semi-public spaces' / 'The Great Solar Storm’ / ‘An Absurdist Archive Of Isolation: a full body workout radio play' / ‘Everyday Freedoms' / ‘Corpus Alimentation' / ‘Lost In Feeling'
DIVE DEEP & PARTICIPATE
To date the creative team of 'They Gather' has delivered workshops, created new works and facilitated conversations engaging artists, young people, and communities in creative processes and subjects from 'They Gather'.
We have delivered: a masterclass during HWY Festival at La Boite Theatre Company (AUS): a workshop and conversation during Supercell Festival Of Contemporary Dance (AUS); a choreographic and performance project with Year 11 dance students of Queensland Academy Creative Industries (AUS), a choreographic and performance project as part of ATOM Choreographic Series 3 (BG); a choreographic and performance project 'Snow' commissioned by University of Salford (UK); an online performance by Lowry Centre for Advanced Training, 60 young dancers co-created a performance for Zoom using 'Lost In Feeling' scores (UK); and open training and creative workshops for professional artists e.g as part of projects such as HOME Centro Coreographica (IT).
"Some great tools to help artists think outside the box and develop ways of using the body outside technical forms - leading to innovative movement and forms of expression."
"New/fresh approaches to technical training... Really fun classes which allowed me to move and have a dance with the beautiful Brisbane community as well as attain a high level knowledge...from professionals."
"I personally felt my dancing, teaching and creativity was revitalised by these classes. The learnings from these classes fed into every element of my dance practice."