2019 Primary Mentors
Eric Avery
Eric Avery is a Ngiyampaa, Yuin, Bandjalang and Gumbangirr artist. As part of his practice Eric plays the violin, dances and composes music. Working with his family’s custodial songs he seeks to revive and continue on an age old legacy – continuing the tradition of singing in his tribe – utilising his talents to combine and create an experience of his peoples culture. See more...
Eric is currently enagaged dancing with Marrugeku and has previously had a mentorship at The Australian Ballet (predominantly in Movement Education) and studied dance at NAISDA Dance college. An avid violinist Eric started learning classical music by “ear” when he was 11 and continued on to train at Newtown Performing Arts and is currently studying a Bachelor of Music (Classical Performance, Violin) at the Australian Institute of Music. He combines his skills on the violin to perform classical music and create new contemporary music expressing his Koori (NSW Aboriginal) heritage
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Kim Beamish
Awarded Canberra Artist of the Year 2018 Kim has established himself as one of ACT’s and Australia’s award winning filmmakers and a consistent documentary storyteller. See more...
His film ‘The Tentmakers of Cairo’ filmed over the duration of the Arab Spring and Egypt’s revolution won the Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award, Prix Buyen-Chagoll and the Man Ray Award for Excellence. Kim’s next film OYSTER screened successfully at the Sydney Film Festival along with winning Best Environmental Feature Film at the Chesapeake Film Festival in the USA. His film about Van Nguyen’s 2006 execution in Singapore, ‘Just Punishment’, helped in changing the mandatory death penalty laws in Singapore.
Kim’s films are intimate, personal films which bring the audience into situations as though they are there. As cinematographer Kim is able to stay close to his characters and spend time building trust. His time in Egypt saw him build close relationships with a small community of devout Muslim artists. Whilst on his film OYSTER he lived with and filmed close to a family of oyster farmers as they worked their farm through all weather conditions.
Kim lives in the Canberra, Australia where he runs his production company Non’D’Script and lives with his wive and two kids. See less...
Kim’s films are intimate, personal films which bring the audience into situations as though they are there. As cinematographer Kim is able to stay close to his characters and spend time building trust. His time in Egypt saw him build close relationships with a small community of devout Muslim artists. Whilst on his film OYSTER he lived with and filmed close to a family of oyster farmers as they worked their farm through all weather conditions.
Kim lives in the Canberra, Australia where he runs his production company Non’D’Script and lives with his wive and two kids. See less...
Liz Lea
Liz Lea is a performer, choreographer and producer based in Canberra and NSW after 20 years in Europe, touring internationally. Her speciality is working with classical Indian dance and martial arts. See more...
She has worked with Ranjabati Sircar, Mavin Khoo, the Royal Opera House and English Bach Festival and been commissioned in India, UK, Australia, South Africa, Singapore and USA.
Under her company, Liz Lea Dance, she has created and toured a dozen shows including ‘120 Birds’, ‘Magnificus Magnificus’ inspired by the red tailed black cockatoo for Indigenous dancer Tammi Gissell and ‘Kapture’, inspired by the South African freedom fighter, Ahmed Kathrada.
Liz works with Ausdance ACT a Project Manager for their Escalate and Connexions mentoring programs, both of which launched in 2017. In 2017 she also this year she premiered a new children’s work, Reef UP! at the Canberra Theatre Centre and toured the work in regional Queensland with the Queensland Music Festival. She is also touring to Indonesia and has residencies in Launceston with Tasdance and NSW with Ausdance NSW.
Liz was awarded a 2017 Australian Dance Award for her direction of Great Sport! for Canberra Dance Theatre. As Artistic Director she established the GOLD over 55’s dance company, commissioning 14 internationally recognised choreographers and developing collaborations with major cultural institutions.
Liz runs two Festivals - DANscienCE where dance and science meet and BOLD, celebrating the legacy of dance. She is currently working on two new projects; The Galaxy Project and a one woman show, RED in collaboration with Martin del Amo, Brian Lucas and Vicki van Hout. Forthcoming projects include TRIP and DAIR residencies with Tasdance and Ausdance NSW. RED is due for premier in 2018.
DANscienCE; Moving Well runs between the 31st May – 2nd June, presented by FORM Dance Projects and Riverside Theatres. See less...
Under her company, Liz Lea Dance, she has created and toured a dozen shows including ‘120 Birds’, ‘Magnificus Magnificus’ inspired by the red tailed black cockatoo for Indigenous dancer Tammi Gissell and ‘Kapture’, inspired by the South African freedom fighter, Ahmed Kathrada.
Liz works with Ausdance ACT a Project Manager for their Escalate and Connexions mentoring programs, both of which launched in 2017. In 2017 she also this year she premiered a new children’s work, Reef UP! at the Canberra Theatre Centre and toured the work in regional Queensland with the Queensland Music Festival. She is also touring to Indonesia and has residencies in Launceston with Tasdance and NSW with Ausdance NSW.
Liz was awarded a 2017 Australian Dance Award for her direction of Great Sport! for Canberra Dance Theatre. As Artistic Director she established the GOLD over 55’s dance company, commissioning 14 internationally recognised choreographers and developing collaborations with major cultural institutions.
Liz runs two Festivals - DANscienCE where dance and science meet and BOLD, celebrating the legacy of dance. She is currently working on two new projects; The Galaxy Project and a one woman show, RED in collaboration with Martin del Amo, Brian Lucas and Vicki van Hout. Forthcoming projects include TRIP and DAIR residencies with Tasdance and Ausdance NSW. RED is due for premier in 2018.
DANscienCE; Moving Well runs between the 31st May – 2nd June, presented by FORM Dance Projects and Riverside Theatres. See less...
Caroline Wall
Caroline ‘Leena’ Wall is the Artistic Director of Fresh Funk, Canberra’s original and leading urban dance program, part of the Tuggeranong Arts Centre. See more...
Leena has been dancing and performing for over 25 years. She has a background in classical ballet, jazz and contemporary dance, and was the first to introduce “urban” dance to Canberra, with Fresh Funk offering a fusion of hip-hop, street funk and contemporary dance since its inception in 2000.
Leena has completed an Honours degree in English and Theatre Studies at the ANU as well as her professional Certification in Dance Teaching and Safe Dance Practices from Queensland University of Technology. She has travelled interstate and internationally as a dancer and teacher, training annually in Los Angeles with the biggest names in the urban dance world, such as Matt Steffanina, Willdabeast, Andre Fuentes, and Kyle Hanagami.
Leena also has a long history of involvement with Ausdance, the Australian Choreographic Centre, and Quantum Leap Youth Dance Ensemble. She is an award-winning dancer and tutor, who was nominated for Young Australian of the Year. She is dedicated to providing a supportive and positive experience for dancers, and to her teaching and mentoring. See less...
Leena has completed an Honours degree in English and Theatre Studies at the ANU as well as her professional Certification in Dance Teaching and Safe Dance Practices from Queensland University of Technology. She has travelled interstate and internationally as a dancer and teacher, training annually in Los Angeles with the biggest names in the urban dance world, such as Matt Steffanina, Willdabeast, Andre Fuentes, and Kyle Hanagami.
Leena also has a long history of involvement with Ausdance, the Australian Choreographic Centre, and Quantum Leap Youth Dance Ensemble. She is an award-winning dancer and tutor, who was nominated for Young Australian of the Year. She is dedicated to providing a supportive and positive experience for dancers, and to her teaching and mentoring. See less...