ELISE MAYProject Coordinator / Choreographer / Video Artist
Elise completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts – Dance at QUT in 2002, and in 2003 worked with Expressions Dance in Education Company. In 2005 Elise represented Australia in the Asian Young Choreographer's Project in Taiwan and performed in Churchill’s Black Dog by Clare Dyson. Elise performed in Cheryl Stock’s Brisbane Festival work Accented Body in 2006. Elise was commissioned to create End Up for Expressions ‘Core Borders’ season and joined the company in April 2008. Elise has performed several works by Maggi Sietsma and Natalie Weir and has toured internationally with Expressions to China, the U.S & Korea. In 2009 Elise developed Close Proximity a solo performance installation, which she presented in the Brisbane Festival Under the Radar program. Elise was also a recipient of the Brisbane Front Residency which gave her the opportunity to present her experimental Screen Dance Laboratory investigating video, sound, choreography, performance & installation.
CONNOR DOWLING
Co-Project Coordinator / Choreographer / Vocalist & Lyricist
Connor has been selected to perform professionally with major dance companies such as The Queensland Ballet, The Australian Ballet and West Australian Ballet from an early age, gaining a wealth of experience and knowledge in the theatre. In 2004 he was invited to join Sydney Dance Company by then Artistic Director Graeme Murphy. It was over the next five years that he developed as a multidisciplinary performer acclaimed for his dancing and acting ability in featured character roles and vocal talents in Murphy’s works, as well as his visceral performances in works by guest choreographers including Rafael Bonachela, Stephen Petronio and Aszure Barton. He has performed throughout Australia, The United Kingdom, China, North America, New Zealand and has a keen interest in songwriting having written the cabaret show A Mission of Statements. He was awarded the Lady Mollie Askin Ballet Travelling Scholarship in 2004. Currently Connor is performing with Expressions Dance Company, Brisbane with Artistic Director Natalie Weir.
Elise completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts – Dance at QUT in 2002, and in 2003 worked with Expressions Dance in Education Company. In 2005 Elise represented Australia in the Asian Young Choreographer's Project in Taiwan and performed in Churchill’s Black Dog by Clare Dyson. Elise performed in Cheryl Stock’s Brisbane Festival work Accented Body in 2006. Elise was commissioned to create End Up for Expressions ‘Core Borders’ season and joined the company in April 2008. Elise has performed several works by Maggi Sietsma and Natalie Weir and has toured internationally with Expressions to China, the U.S & Korea. In 2009 Elise developed Close Proximity a solo performance installation, which she presented in the Brisbane Festival Under the Radar program. Elise was also a recipient of the Brisbane Front Residency which gave her the opportunity to present her experimental Screen Dance Laboratory investigating video, sound, choreography, performance & installation.
CONNOR DOWLING
Co-Project Coordinator / Choreographer / Vocalist & Lyricist
Connor has been selected to perform professionally with major dance companies such as The Queensland Ballet, The Australian Ballet and West Australian Ballet from an early age, gaining a wealth of experience and knowledge in the theatre. In 2004 he was invited to join Sydney Dance Company by then Artistic Director Graeme Murphy. It was over the next five years that he developed as a multidisciplinary performer acclaimed for his dancing and acting ability in featured character roles and vocal talents in Murphy’s works, as well as his visceral performances in works by guest choreographers including Rafael Bonachela, Stephen Petronio and Aszure Barton. He has performed throughout Australia, The United Kingdom, China, North America, New Zealand and has a keen interest in songwriting having written the cabaret show A Mission of Statements. He was awarded the Lady Mollie Askin Ballet Travelling Scholarship in 2004. Currently Connor is performing with Expressions Dance Company, Brisbane with Artistic Director Natalie Weir.
Elise May
2011
- Nominated for an Australian Dance Award for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer" Cateogory for 2010's Where The Heart Is by Expressions Dance Company (EDC).
- Performer in EDC's "Launch Pad", "Solo" & R & J seasons
- Comissioned by EDC to choreograph a solo for EDC dancer Samantha Mitchell in ED's 2011 "Solo" Festival season.
2010
- 4 week cultural collaboration/ exchange project in China with “Beijing Dance – LDTX” Company and Expressions Dance Company on a new work “First Ritual” by Natalie Weir and Willy Tsao. Elise is also currently creating a documentary about the cultural collaboration process.
- “Where the Heart Is” QPAC and “While Others Sleep” Judith Wright Centre Seasons – Expressions Dance Company
- Named in Dance Australia Magazine’s Annual Dance Critic’s Survey as “Most Outstanding Dancer” - Queensland Feb/March Edition 2010
- Completed a Video editing, DVD authoring and Video Compositing Intensive run by Australia Council Fellow, Suzon Fuks.
2009
- Brisbane Front Residency - Screen Dance Laboratory Judith Wright Centre Shopfront supported by Ausdance Qld, The Judith Wright Centre & Brisbane City Council. Elise engaged Australia Council Fellow Suzon Fuks as her Mentor on this project.
- Presented “Close Proximity” Solo performance installation in the Brisbane Festival - Under the Radar Program 2009
2008
- Commissioned to choreograph a new work, End Up, for Expressions Dance Company’s Core Borders season and joined Expressions as a dancer in April 2008.
2007
- Appointed Membership Services Officer – Ausdance Queensland 2007. Ausdance is Queensland’s state advisory body for dance.
- Collaborated with Russell Miledge & Rebecca Youdell (Bonemap) in their production TiLT as part of the On Edge Contemporary Media and Performance Festival, Cairns
2006
- Recipient of the 2006 “Take Your Partner” Australia Council grant for the creative development of a new solo performance installation work – “Dare you Look” that took take place in September/ October 2006
2005
- Represented Australia as one of three international choreographers in the Asian Young Choreographer's Project in Kaohsiung city, Taiwan July/ August 2005. Coordinated by the Jih Sun Foundation for Education and The World Dance Alliance – Asia Pacific
2004
- Commissioned to choreograph a work for the Queensland University of Technology’s first year students in their undergraduate performance season, ‘Dance Bytes' at the Gardens Theatre, Brisbane, June 2004.
Connor Dowling
2011
- Dancer in Expressions Dance Company's "Launch Pad" & guest performer in EDC's "Solo" Season
- Comissioned to choreograph a solo based on the character "Piero the Clown" for Sydney Festival production.
- Toured to London & Berlin with vocalist Almaryse & The Frill of the Fight.
2010
- Played the supporting role of ‘Alex’ and choreographed for Anmol Mishra's independent film 'Fountains'
- Initiated a weekly dance class at The Seymour Centre to live accompaniment, which featured in Australian Dance Week organised by Ausdance N.S.W.
- Dancer – ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ Directed by Bruce Beresford and Choreographed by Graeme Murphy Completed a National Institute of Dramatic Art screen acting course, Brisbane 2010
- Sang and danced in Natalie Weir’s ‘While Others Sleep’ with Expressions Dance Company, Brisbane Performed in ‘First Ritual’ - a collaboration between Expressions Dance Company and Beijing LDTX Dance, in Beijing.
2005-09
- Dancer and Choreographer - Sydney Dance Company Performing works by Graeme Murphy, Raphael Bonachela, Kenneth Kvarnstrom, Aszure Barton, Meryl Tankard, Stephen Petronio and Saun Parker
- Choreographed ‘Dreamt I Was a Real Boy’ for the New Breed season at Sydney Opera House, September 2009
- Created, directed and performed two successful seasons of the cabaret show ‘A Mission of Statements’ at BarMe- El Rocco Jazz Cellar, Kings Cross, Sydney
- Dancer - ‘Blank Canvas’ a Foxtel and Vast Productions documentary on Sydney Dance Company Dancer - Fountains’ - an Independent Film by Anmol Mishra
- Best Male Dancer Nomination in the Green Room Awards 2007 The Lady Mollie Askin Travelling Scholarship
- Singing credits include: ‘Shall We Dance’ by George and Ira Gershwin in Graeme Murphy’s ‘Grand’, and ‘Beautiful Aussie Girl’ by Linda Nagle and Max Lambert, in Graeme Murphy’s ‘Tivoli’
2002-04
- Dancer and Choreographer - West Australian Ballet working with choreographers such as: Ted Brandsen, Simon Dow, Stephen Page, Matjash Mrozewski, Ashley Page, Hans Van Manen, Natalie Weir and John Utans.
- Choreographed ‘Studio Run’ for the Workshop season 2004
