Us And All Of This

The Betty Amsden Participation Program returns after a three-year hiatus for its eighth instalment, Us And All Of This.

In a word increasingly defined by rising geopolitical tension, ecological mismanagement, deteriorating labour conditions and social isolation, Liesel Zink’s Us And All Of This offers a rare moment of calm reflection.

Bringing together 100 local dancers for a large-scale contemporary performance work, the premiere season unfolds across three large plot of urban public space, not in the pursuit of profiteering , but in the pursuit of togetherness and communion. The work will take place as a free un-ticketed public performance at Arts Centre Melbourne (Saturday 11 March 1.00 pm & 4.00 pm), Bunjil Place (Saturday 25 March, 6.15 pm, & Sunday 26 March 12:45 pm), and Johnstone Park with Geelong Arts Centre (Sunday 2 April, 2.00 pm).

In collaboration with sound artist Lawrence English and dramaturg Martyn Coutts, Liesel is working with a team of core dance artist at each location to devise and teach a series of choreographic and improvisational scores. The 100 participants, of various ages, ethnicities, genders and body types, will be split into small groups in which they collaborate in series of four workshops with the lead dancers. The ultimate outcome will be a meditative and sculptural dance piece spanning roughly 45 minutes.

Us And All Of This explores collectively and assembly as the antithesis of exploitation. It rejects the positioning of humans as something separate to the environment, and challenges the fast-paced, isolated structure of society. In this way, the performers move not on the landscape, but with the landscape, acknowledging our place as one part of a complex ecology. And for the participants, the experience extends beyond the performance itself into a ritual of coming together.

Us And All Of This forges a space for a diverse collection of people to gather, to learn, and to embody their shared resistance to an atomised way of life. It is not only a performance but a process; an exercise in the gentle act of shared creation.

Attending the Performance

Performances at Bunjil Place will occur on:

• Saturday March 25th 6.15pm
• Sunday March 26th 12.45pm

Each performance runs for approximately 45mins and will take place in the Plaza amphitheatre.

Performances are free and will not require a ticket or registration to attend.

The performance will take place outdoors and will go ahead in all but extreme weather. There will be limited seating available to patrons to view the performance.

What is the Betty Amsden Participation Program?

The Betty Amsden Participation Program started in 2014 and is an annual community event that inspires people from all over Victoria to be involved in a shared creative experience and to tap into their creativity.

These large-scale community events are designed to inspire Victorians and precinct visitors, engage diverse communities, break cultural and economic barriers, inspire civic and public participation, and build community pride.

Learn more about Betty, her legacy and Betty Amsdem Participation Program

Credits

Creator - Liesel Zink
Dramaturg - Martyn Coutts
Composer - Lawrence English

Produced by Performing Lines
Commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne

Lead Artists
February 2021 Development - Roxanne McDonald, Brian Lucas, Leah Shelton, Hsin-Ju Ely, Joshua Lowe
October 2020 Development - Joel Bray, Joshua Lowe, Katina Olsen, Niharika Senapati, Leah Shelton, Ely Hsin-Ju

Developed with the assistance of Dancers from Yellow Wheel

Image credit: Ian Laidlaw

_{A Betty Amsden Participation Program
Arts Centre Melbourne presents
Us And All Of This by Liesel Zink
Produced by Performing Lines
Us And All Of This by Liesel Zink has been commissioned by Arts Centre Melbourne through the generous support of the Betty Amsden endowment.
Co-presented with Geelong Arts Centre and Bunjil Place.}

_{Us And All Of This has been developed with support from the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body, the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Ausdance Qld, HOTA, Besen Family Foundation and the City of Melbourne.
Co-presented with Geelong Arts Centre and Bunjil Place.}