BECAUSE OF GRAVITY
BECAUSE OF GRAVITY
Teaching & Facilitation
Youth & Community Projects
Theatre / Film / Digital /Music
TEACHING & FACILITATION
TEACHING & FACILITATION
Performance & Research
BRIDGET FISKE
"Subversion that matters, delivered with artfully channeled rage..."
- New York Times, Ben Brantley & Jesse Green, The Best, Theatre of 2017, on 'Burning. Doors' by Belarus Free Theatre. Fiske's role Choreographic & Rehearsal Director -
'..was a slow burn of articulate fury and extraordinary ensemble physicality....'
- Vulture, Sarah Holdren, The 10 Best Theatrical Productions of 2017, on 'Burning. Doors' by Belarus Free Theatre. Fiske's role Choreographic & Rehearsal Director -
'The show is steeped in impressive physical sequences ... Counting Sheep does a first-rate job of plunging its viewers into the war-torn world it depicts...It makes painful, gut-wrenching and frightening viewing, but prevails as a window onto the human stories beneath the strife of a nation...'
- Culture Whisper, Holly O'Mahony, 2019, on 'Counting Sheep: Staging A Revolution. Fiske's role Choreographic & Rehearsal Director -
'The severity of the show's content... is counterpointed, by the grace, athleticism and skill of its eight performers...'
- The Guardian, Michael Billington, 2013, on 'Trash Cuisine' by Belarus Free Theatre. Fiske's role Choreographic & Rehearsal Director -
'It has the potential to encapsulate global politics and humanities empathy...visually stunning and an important contribution to the cannon of performance art.'
- Kate Usher, Festival Director, Supercell Festival Of Contemporary Dance, on 'They Gather' -
Bridget has a 20+ year portfolio career as a multifaceted Performance Maker & Interdisciplinary Artist/ Creative. Across these years Bridget has worked in local, national and international contexts in the areas of: Direction, Choreography, Movement Direction, Rehearsal Direction, Performance, Collaboration, Facilitation, Development (including artist-led initiatives), Curation & Producing.
Bridget's work and practice collaborates with Theatre, Video & Film, Interactive technologies, Environment & Site as well as Music & Sound practices and projects. From Choroegraphic/ Movement and Rehearsal Director on several major productions with Belarus Free Theatre and its Directors Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezine, to independent international and multi-modal projects like 'They Gather, to projects in partnership with BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, to community driven projects, Bridget's responsive practice engages with people, ideas, feelings, dreams, histories, philosophies, living experiences, activism and change making.
See BIOGRAPHY for more information.
Personal Statement
As an international artist, and via my dual identity as both an Australian and British citizen living and working between the UK (Manchester) and Australia, (Brisbane), I aim to make meaningful contributions to both places where I practice, work and live, as well as contribute wider internationally via partnership building and collaborations with artists, communities, change-makers, producers, curators, advocates and organisations.
I acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where I was born, have and do live, learn and work.
Always was. Always will be.
"Intelligent, emotional and with some powerfully strong and distinctive choreography...the connection between Fiske and Lau is compelling, and Fiske especially moves so wonderfully that the pair are engrossing to watch."
- Peter Jacobs, The Public Reviews, on work in progress performance of ‘Inner Terra’2016 -
Projects: current & recent
Biography
Selected portfolio highlights include:
Since 2012 being Choreographic / Movement & Rehearsal Director with the world renowned underground company Belarus Free Theatre and with Belarus Free Theatre Directors Kaliada and Khalezin on several major productions about urgent human rights issues, touring to festivals and venues across North America, Europe, the UK and Australia - works include:
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‘Burning Doors’ with Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina (listed in the New York Times ‘Best Theatre of 2017’ and winner of an Off West End Award for ‘Best Ensemble’),
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‘Trash Cuisine’ (Winner 2013 Impacto Totale Award),
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‘Red Forest’ (including International researcher in Bangladesh, India, Nigeria and Australia meeting with communities impacted by man-made and environmental disasters, activists, NGO’s and research institutes),
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‘Counting Sheep: Staging A Revolution’ - VAULT Festival London 2019 headline production, and
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‘Trustees’ (Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne International Festival).
(2017 to current): Co-Creator/Co-Choreographer/Co-Director/Co-producer of ‘They Gather’ an independent international multi-modal project creating gatherings of people, action, music, sound and dance in public, festival, cultural, digital and personal spaces. ‘They Gather’ has been programmed to date by Supercell Festival of Contemporary Dance, The Lowry (#LoveLowry digital programme), The Place and Chisenhale Dance’s digital festival ‘How Do We Tune Into Sensation’ and Rewire international music festival (the Netherlands). https://www.theygatherproject.com
Collaborations with Ukrainian Film Artist Roman Liubyi and Ukrainian Film organisation Babylon’13 including:
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Co-creator of ‘The Correspondents’ a remote digital moving image research project that includes working on creating a global video letter collection (supported by the European Union under the House of Europe, 2021), and
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Choreographer & Performer on the hybrid documentary ‘Iron Butterflies’.
Associate Director and Curator of ‘Sufi In The City’, a contemporary interdisciplinary project drawing upon Sufi philosophies and artistic forms led by Sarah Sayeed. https://www.sufiinthecity.com
Dancer/ Choreographer and Curatorial Assistant on ‘Accented Body’ a large-scale sited, intercultural and interdisciplinary project by Director/ Producer Cheryl Stock in the 2006 Brisbane International Festival.
Bridget has received commissions for solo and collaborative works from:
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moves - International Festival of Movement on Screen and The Watching Dance Project, for the live and interactive digital video work ‘Red Rain (also programmed in Mercy’s Midnight Specials at The Cooperative for Liverpool Biennial),
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Illuminating York 2013, as part of Fiske & Crofts, for the live and large scale animation and video projection mapping work ‘The Ice, the Land and the Sea’,
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Be SpectACTIve! (a consortia of EU arts and cultural organisations funded by Creative Europe) for the multi-country residency project ‘YES Move. NO Move. (Moved?)’ about borders and rights to movement, collaborating with activists, individuals seeking asylum, artists and youth from Roma communities, emigrant workers and youths navigating social tensions.
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Moving Dance Forward - a consortium supporting dance artists resident in the North West of England led by Dance Manchester and MDI in partnership with the Unity Theatre, Contact, The Lowry and University of Salford,
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TURN Prize (Dance Manchester, hAb & greenroom) for the work ‘Three Crows on the Road’ by The GEF House Experiment (Julia Griffin, Kate Engineer & Bridget Fiske)
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Greater Manchester Combined Authority of the short dance for camera series ‘Moment’ and more.
Bridget’s individual and collaborative works have also been presented by: The Future (a partnership between Rambert and The Lowry), Dance: Sampled at The Lowry (by The Movement - a Sadler's Wells, Birmingham Hippodrome and The Lowry partnership), Urban Moves International Dance Festival, Mintfest, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for the opening of their studios at MediaCityUK and as part of the Ink Still Wet Programme at Bridgewater Hall and more.
In addition to solo and collaborative works Bridget has been a performer in projects with: Joseph Lau (including the 2010 TURN Prize winning work ‘Abandoned Things’), imitating the dog (touring cast of ‘Hotel Methuselah’ to Cena Brasil Internacional), Rosetta Cook, Tarcisio Teatini Climaco, Wendy Wallace and Louise Deleur.
With an extensive portfolio of working with and creating work for Children and Young People in grassroots, education and professional performance contexts Bridget:
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was Lead Artist on Contact Youth Company’s ‘Baby Fever’ directed by DEGASTEN in SICK! Festival 2019,
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has been a Core Tutor on The Lowry Centre for Advanced Training since 2009 delivering across a range of technique, improvisation, creative and performance areas (including Choreography/ Directing several works),
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worked as a performer with Buzz Dance Theatre - Australia’s premiere dance company making work for Children and Young People as audience - touring performance works by Paige Gordon, Felicity Bott and Carol Wellman Kelly in metro, regional and remote Australia, as well as delivering outreach and engagement programmes.
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Co-choreographed and performed ‘Dance. Dance. Dance’ with The Queensland Symphony Orchestra,
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was Rehearsal Director and Support Artist delivering sessions and choreographing performance works for several years on STRIDE - a grassroots project engaging young men across Greater Manchester realised via a partnership between Dance Manchester and Company Chameleon,
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undertakes sessional lecturing/ tutoring roles in Higher Education in the areas of contemporary dance technique, ensemble performance, choreography, devising & improvisation, digital dance practices, the use of dance in the classroom curriculum as well as offering mentoring to students. Bridget has worked for the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts, University of Salford, University of Central Lancashire, Roehampton University, Queensland University of Technology and Manchester Metropolitan University,
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designs and delivers workshops for festivals and various programs e.g. Brisbane Powerhouse ‘Powerkids’, UDance, Dance Manchester programme for home educated young people and more,
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as an Associate Artist of Company Chameleon choreographed a mass performance work as part of Rugby League Cares ‘Join the Momentum’ project for Rugby League Magic Weekend 2015, and
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was Choreographer of ‘Stellarium’ a Dance and Astrophysics collaborative project commissioned by Dance Manchester and the Science Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub (SEERIH) at the University of Manchester for Manchester - European City of Science 2016 with outcomes presented at Manchester Dance, Great Science Share and the National Youth Dance Festival.
Bridget has also had the pleasure to deliver regular and guest training and workshops for artists, including for: Expressions Dance Company (now Australasian Dance Collective), Bangarra Dance Theatre, The Place Summerhouse, Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre, HWY Festival La Boite Theatre Company, Dancenorth Australia and many more.
In the areas of arts administration & management, strategic development and producing Bridget has worked with: Ausdance Queensland, Rio Rhythmics, Cheryl Stock on ‘Accented Body’, Dance Manchester, Manchester Dance Consortium producing Manchester Choreolab 2017, The Lowry Centre for Advanced Training and has produced many independent projects. Bridget is a founding Co-Director of the new creative house Project Auske Ltd, is a founding Working Group member of the North West Dance Artist Led for Artists Network and a Board Member of Vanhulle Dance Theatre.
Bridget’s creative and professional development activity has previously been supported by Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants, The Ian Potter Cultural Trust, ‘Creative Sparks’ a partnership programme between Brisbane City Council and The Queensland Government via Arts Queensland, Australia Council for the Arts ‘Foot in the Door’ Emerging Performers Initiative and The Queensland Government via Arts Queensland.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Bridget is currently undertaking a certified Core Skills in Coaching for Advisors, Mentors and Teachers course with Guildhall.
2000: Bachelor of Arts (Honours), study area Dance, Queensland University of Technology
Bridget's Honours research involved solo artistic practice as research, creating the self-made solo 'In Blood' and working with Cath Child's on 'For Lease' and Nik Hills on 'Holding The Baby'. Thesis outcome 'Going Solo at the Disco.'
1997-1999: Bachelor of Arts (Dance), Queensland University of Technology
Bridget Fiske & Co is a banner for creative and producing work of Bridget Fiske.
Through this identity the significant role of collaborators, collectives, community and partners in the realisation of projects and artistic works is celebrated, valued and acknowledged.
Images
Photographers who's work appears on this site: Ekua Bayunu, Maureen Billeau, Victor Isabel Bueno, Lisa Cullen, Costin Chesnoiu for Teatrul National Radu Stanca Sibiu, Christine Fiske, Jessie Giraud, Joseph Lau, Nicolai Khalezin, Matt Kowalczuk, Stelios Manousakis, Nadia Milford, Stephanie Pan, Dorin Alexandru Părău, Jana Sedláčková, Brian Slater, Eamonn Sweeney - CreativeImageworx and Sammie Williams.