Helen Herbertson Dig Residency

A live action, legacy and publication project, DIG brings choreography, performance, diverse records (photo, video, media, paper-based) and an intergenerational team into dialogue. Drawing on Helen's body of creative work, an interest in dance history, documentary formats and archival record-keeping processes, it immerses us in the richness of the physical, performative, conceptual & storytelling focus of the work, while asking - what is it to remember, what is it to forget.

As a long term project DIG has had multiple iterations where an intense focus on a series of work periods, with original performers, collaborators & new artists, has yielded much to share. The DIG Residency at Dance Cork Firkin Crane continues in this vein with a spotlight on Helen's Artistic Directorship of Danceworks in Melbourne (89-97), a very fertile period for her development as a choreographer, director and teacher. She will be working with a Naarm (Melbourne) based performer Cora Hughes as they explore this material in depth and begin to unearth the starting points of a new piece based on home, and family.

There will be a FREE sharing on Friday 13 September at 6pm, register at the link. Helen will teach the weekly professional class on Thursdays 5 and 12 September at 11am. Book here >>>

hhprojects is a vehicle for cultivating & nurturing the joy of creating, presenting, sharing & experiencing dance. Conceived across genres and forms, with diverse creative teams & participants, projects are carefully crafted to celebrate the complexity and simplicity of human to human connection.

Melbourne-based performer, choreographer and creative collaborator, Helen Herbertson's imaginative, highly theatrical work is regularly presented at both local and international festivals. She began creating works as a freelance choreographer in the 1980s and has played a key role in several seminal organisations that shaped the development of contemporary dance in Australia.

Her work has received multiple awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 Australian Dance Awards, and the 2022 Australia Council Award for Dance.