BECAUSE OF GRAVITY
BECAUSE OF GRAVITY
Teaching & Facilitation
Youth & Community Projects
Theatre / Film / Digital /Music
TEACHING & FACILITATION
TEACHING & FACILITATION
Performance & Research
BRIDGET FISKE
Design by Dartsia Liuba for 'An Absurdist Archive of Isolation: a full body workout radio play'
"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, Choreographic & Interdisciplinary Artist/ Creative. Across these years Bridget has worked in local, national and international contexts in the areas of: Choreography, Choreographic & Movement Direction, Rehearsal Direction, Performance, Collaboration, Facilitation, Development (including artist-led initiatives), Curation & Producing.
Bridget's work and practice often collaborates with Theatre, Video & Film, Interactive technologies, Site, Writing, as well as Music & Sound practices and projects. Bridget's responsive practice engages with people, ideas, feelings, dreams, environments, histories, philosophies, living experiences, activism and change making.
See Career Highlights for more information.
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.
Projects: current
Career Highlights
RECENT PROJECTS
Creator/Choreographer/Director & Producer of 'They Gather' an international, interdisciplinary and multimodal independent project with partnerships in Australia, the UK and the Netherlands. www.theygatherproject.com
Choreographic and Rehearsal Director of the highly acclaimed 'Counting Sheep: Staging A Revolution' at the VAULT Festival, London, 2019.
Movement Director on 'Trustees' a Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne International Arts Festival production. Directed by Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin (Belarus Free Theatre).
Choreographic, movement and rehearsal director with Belarus Free Theatre, collaborating and working on international touring productions: ‘Burning Doors' with Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina (winner ‘Best Ensemble’ Off West End Awards and listed in the New York Times 'Best Theatre of 2017'), 'Trash Cuisine’ (winner 2013 Impacto Totale Award) and ‘Red Forest’ (including undertaking research in Bangladesh, India, Nigeria and Australia on the impacts of man-made and environmental disaster on vulnerable communities).
Bridget's work reaches a breadth of audiences at festivals, in galleries & museums, in public spaces, at major events and in venues including: a Be SpectACTive! EU residency project commission engaging with individuals and families seeking asylum (in and out of detention), Roma youth and artists, people 'erased' during Slovenia's independence, emigrant workers activists and Romanian youth, 'Because of Gravity' for The Future (a partnership between Rambert and The Lowry), 'The Body Of Us' presented at festivals in the UK (Dance: Sampled at The Lowry) and Australia, several projects as a collaborating co-founder, choreographer & performer with new music and dance collective Out of the Blue Productions including projects in partnership with BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and eu-art-network (including performances at Teatro La Fenice, Venice) as well as works/projects in Manchester Day, Rugby League Magic Weekend (choreographer of large scale youth performed work as an associate artist of Company Chameleon), Manchester International Women's Festival, moves - International Festival Of Movement On Screen, The Lowry Digit Fest, Liverpool Biennial, Illuminating York, Supercell Festival Of Contemporary Dance and many more.
As a performer Bridget has: worked on Cheryl Stock’s international, intercultural and interdisciplinary project ‘Accented Body’ (2006 Brisbane International Festival), been a company dancer with Australia's premier company making work for children and young people as audience Buzz Dance Theatre performing works by Paige Gordon, Carol Wellman Kelly and Felicity Bott, performed the role of 'Weird Woman' as part of touring cast of imitating the dog's 'Hotel Methuselah' to Cena Brasil Internacional, as well as research projects and performance works by Rosetta Cook, Joseph Lau (including the 2010 TURN Prize-winning work 'Abandoned Things'), Xanthe Beesley, Tarcisio Teatini-Climaco and Louise Deleur.
As a respected creative, facilitator & teaching artist Bridget has worked in many community, education and professional contexts. Guest and regular delivery and facilitation engagements have included amongst others with:
(companies) - Expressions Dance Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Dancenorth Australia and Ludus Dance Company.
(higher education training institutes) - The Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts, University of Roehampton, University of Central Lancashire, University of Salford and Queensland University of Technology.
(Centre for Advanced Training programmes) - The Lowry, National Centre for Circus Arts, The Place and Yuva Gati (South Asian CAT).
(community & youth projects) - 'Baby Fever' by Contact Youth Company, STRIDE a Greater Manchester young Men’s Dance project (Dance Manchester & Company Chameleon), UDance (North West youth dance festival), Powerkids (Brisbane Powerhouse), The Out Of the Box Festival, Rio Rhythmics 'Rio Jam' and Dance Manchester's sessions for home educated children.
(adult and professional training organisations / activities) - Expressions Dance Company, MAD Dance House, Rio Rhythmics Latin Dance Academy, River City Dance and The Place Summerhouse.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
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.