Arts Tasmania and Tasmanian Regional Arts announced more than $42,000 for regional artists through the Nothern Exposure program.
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Launceston-based dancer and choreographer Emma Porteus was among those to receive funding.
Porteus recently stepped aside from her role as artistic director of Stompin to research and develop her first independent work, Be Our Guest, as a solo artist.
“It is a three venue performance feast, so it is borrowing from the idea of a progressive dinner party,” Porteus said.
Each venue would be curated by a different demographic of performers, starting with under 30s for entree, 30 to 50-year-olds for main and over 60s for dessert.
“By curated I mean everything, the food, the performance, the look of the venue, I kind of work with them to make that happen then they lead you,” Porteus said.
Researching different cultures’ relationship with food was something Porteus was interested in delving into to help grow the work.
“How does food inform culture and culture inform food, so that I have that research before I start going into communities and actually make that work,” she said.
“It is such a special grant for me to have especially because it is my first show as an independent artist since leaving Stompin.”
Porteus applied for an Australia Council grant with Birmingham-based company Friction Arts.
“Birmingham is one of the most multicultural cities in the UK, so (Friction Arts) has a really multicultural group of people that they work with from their studio space – that is why I selected them to be the first kind of port of call for this work,” Porteus said.
“It will give me an opportunity to work with lots of groups of people in terms of age and culture,” she said.
After testing out her ideas in Birmingham, Porteus planned to bring the work to Tasmania.
“I really want to make the first full show in Tassie because it is my community,” she said.