PICA and Marrugeku present Burrbgaja Yalirra 2

Biographies

Dalisa Pigram – Artistic Direction (Burrbgaja Yalirra 2) / Co-Choreographer (Nyuju)

A Yawuru/Bardi woman born and raised in Broome, Dalisa Pigram has worked with Marrugeku since their first production Mimi and has been Artistic Co-Director since 2008. A co-devising performer on all Marrugeku’s productions, touring extensively overseas and throughout Australia, Pigram’s solo work Gudirr Gudirr earned an Australian Dance Award (Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance 2014) and a Green Room Award (Best Female Performer 2014). Pigram co-conceived Marrugeku’s Burning Daylight and Cut the Sky with Rachael Swain, co-choreographing both works as well as Marrugeku’s Le Dernier Appel (2018) with Serge Aimé Coulibaly for which she also received a Green Room Award (Best Performance 2020). Together with Swain, she co-directed Buru, Ngalimpa and co-curated Marrugeku’s four international Indigenous Choreographic Labs and Burrbgaja Yalirra. Pigram co-conceived with Rachael Swain and Patrick Dodson Marrugeku’s Jurrungu Ngan-ga [Straight Talk], co-choreographing the new work with the performers. She also co-choreographed and performed in Marrugeku’s new digital work, Gudirr Gudirr video and sound installation. In her community, Pigram teaches the Yawuru language at Cable Beach Primary School and is committed to the maintenance of Indigenous language and culture through arts and education. Pigram is co-editor of Marrugeku: Telling That Story—25 years of trans-Indigenous and intercultural exchange (Performance Research, 2021).

Rachael Swain – Artistic Direction (Burrbgaja Yalirra 2) / Dramaturg, Media Producer (No New Gods and Nyuju)

Rachael Swain is a Pākehā settler director and dramaturg born on the land of the Ngai Tahu, Aotearoa and living and working on the lands of the Gadigal and the Yawuru in so-called Australia. Swain specialises in directing and facilitating intersectional and trans-disciplinary dance and theatre. She is a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of Marrugeku with Dalisa Pigram. She has co-conceived and directed Marrugeku’s productions Mimi (1996), Crying Baby (2001), Burning Daylight (2006), Cut the Sky (2015), and Jurrungu Ngan-ga (2022) and co-directed Buru (2010) and Ngalimpa (2018) with Pigram. Her dramaturgy credits include Gudirr Gudirr (2013), the video installation Gudirr Gudirr (2021) directed by Vernon Ah Kee, Burrbgaja Yalirra 1 (2018) and Le Dernier Appel (2018). Swain was co-artistic director of Stalker Theatre (1989–2014) during which her directing highlights included Incognita (2003) and the Helpmann-nominated Shanghai Lady Killer (2010) written by Tony Ayres. Rachael gained a Masters in Advanced Theatre and Dance Research from DAS ARTS, Amsterdam and a Doctorate in Theatre Studies from Melbourne University. She is the author of Dance in Contested Land—new intercultural dramaturgies (Palgrave Macmillian, 2020) and co-editor of Marrugeku: Telling That Story—25 years of trans-Indigenous and intercultural exchange (Performance Research, 2021).

Corin Ileto – Musical Director, Composer (Burrbgaja Yalirra 2)

Corin Ileto is a Filipina-Australian electronic producer, composer and performer working in the field of performance art, sound design, theatre and club spaces. In her compositions, traditional forms merge with hyper-digital sounds to create new imaginary realms. Compositionally, she is interested in creating a sonic space in which western classical music can be hybridised with contemporary electronic music production. Each release is thought of as a speculative fiction drawing influence from sci-fi, classical music composition, contemporary club culture and ancestral myths connected to her Filipino heritage. As a composer, Ileto works across a broad spectrum ranging from video to theatre. Recent commissions include Club Ate's video work Ang Idol Ko (Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2022), Justin Shoulder’s theatre work AEON† (Liveworks Festival, 2020) and Sky Blue Mythic theatre work by Angela Goh (Sydney Opera House, 2021).

Nicolas Molé – Set Design (Burrbgaja Yalirra 2)

Nicolas Molé is a key figure in the expression of contemporary Kanak culture. Moving fluently between drawing, animation and video, Molé constructs animated multi-media installations that respond to the natural and cultural environment of New Caledonia. These works are often performative in nature, requiring an audience to activate or transform them. They are also interventionist, adapting an existing building, site or place. Molé has worked extensively with performance companies across the Pacific region, Europe and Argentina to create settings for their works. He has exhibited at the Tjibaou Cultural Center, New Caledonia; Biennale Jogja XVI, Yogyakarta; TeTuhi Art Gallery, Auckland New Zealand; Kaohsiung International Container Art Festival, Taïwan; 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, 2015; and the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan, among others.

Matthew Stegh – Costume Design (Burrbgaja Yalirra 2)

Matt Stegh is a Wiradjuri/Croatian/Austrian interdisciplinary artist, activist and community organiser. His design and craft focuses on costume, textiles and inflatables for dance, performance, theatre, film and immersive community engagement. Stegh has been instrumental in Eora’s underground queer clubbing and activist communities, as a key collaborator on parties such as Monsta Gras and Pink Bubble and the infamous Glitter Militia events. He has built a reputation as a deep listener and respectful collaborator which has led to co-creating powerful syncretic work with artist and partner Justin Shoulder, Lisa Reihana, Latai Taumoepeau and Bhenji Ra. Recent collaborations include Lisa Reihana’s video work Ground Loop for the new wing of the Art Gallery of NSW and this year’s First Nations Float for Mardi Gras/World Pride. He is currently working on Justin Shoulder’s new performance work Anito premiering at the Sydney Festival 2024.

Matt Cox – Lighting Design (Burrbgaja Yalirra 2)

Since arriving in Sydney in 2003, Matt Cox has designed numerous theatre productions including: Bangarra Dance Theatre: Dubbo, One’s Country, OUR Land People Stories, Blak and Belong; Carriageworks: Lake Disappointment; Hayes Theatre Company: She Loves Me; Siren Theatre Co: The Trouble with Harry; Ensemble: Diplomacy and Murder on the Wireless; Australian Chamber Orchestra: Reflections on Gallipoli; Marrugeku: Burrbgaja Yalirra; Musica Viva: Goldner String Quartet; Bell Shakespeare: The Miser, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet; Monkey Baa: Possum Magic, The Unknown Soldier, Diary of a Wombat; Sydney Theatre Company: The Wharf Revue (2018–2020), Ruby Moon; William Zappa: The Iliad Out Loud; Tinderbox Productions: David Suchet, Poirot and More; Louise Withers and Associates: The Mousetrap, A Murder is Announced; Michael Seiders Presents: Alice in Wonderland; Company B: The Seed Legs on the Wall: Symphony; Sport for Jove Theatre Company: The Libertine, Othello, Antigone, The River At the End of the Road, The Tempest; Red Line Productions: This Much is True, A View From the Bridge; Sydney Festival: The Famous Spiegeltent (2016), The Famous Spiegeltent (2015), The Aurora Spiegeltent (2014); and Sydney Chamber Opera: His Music Burns.

Sohan Ariel Hayes – Media Artist (Nyuju and No New Gods)

Sohan Ariel Hayes is a Perth-based artist and filmmaker with a body of work spanning multi-disciplinary art forms including immersive environments, animation and documentary. In February 2023, Ariel Hayes completed four short films under the banner, Artist in Focus, which feature First Nations artists sharing their creative journey, alongside unique experiences which have shaped their lives and practice. He is currently working with a small creative team on a 1.4km immersive installation which aims to inspire deeper connections with Country through walking together and to promote shared understandings across Noongar knowledge and western science.

Bhenji Ra – Co-Choreographer, Performer (No New Gods)

Bhenji Ra is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice combines dance, choreography, video and installation. She attended the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York in 2008, followed by BA in Dance at WAAPA. Ra exhibited two group works in 2015, You Own Everything for Performance Space Day4Night exhibition and Bowling Club Medley for Underbelly Arts Festival and at the 8th Asia Pacific Triennial at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, in collaboration with artist Justin Shoulder. In 2016 she was the Dance WEB scholarship recipient for Impulstanz Dance Festival, Vienna, undergoing a mentorship program with artist Tino Sehgal. Ra is also a performer and collaborator in Marrugeku’s most recent work Jurrungu Ngan-ga [Straight Talk], which premiered in Sydney 2022, and went on to tour to the Kimberley, Melbourne, Europe and Adelaide.

Melanie Lane – Co-Choreographer (No New Gods)

Melanie Lane is an Australian choreographer and performer of Javanese/European cultural heritage. Working between Naarm/Melbourne and Ngunnawal/Canberra, she works across visual arts, theatre, music and film. Her choreographic work interrogates physical and social realities to create surreal futures that are confounded, broken and reconfigured. She has created works for Sydney Dance Company, Australasian Dance Collective, Dance North, Chunky Move, Schauspiel Leipzig and West Australian Ballet (among others) and has toured her independent work internationally. Lane engages regularly across projects in Indonesia, is resident artist at The Substation, Melbourne, and Associate Artist at QL2 Dance, Canberra.

Czack (Ses) Bero – Co-Choreographer, Performer (Bloodlines)

Czack (Ses) Bero is a proud Indigenous man from both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background coming from the Kunjen people of Western Cape York and the Erub and Meriam people of the eastern part of the Torres Straits. Bero was born and raised in Townsville, North Queensland, where his family always practiced their culture and performing in traditional ceremonies, celebrations and in everyday life. Bero studied at NAISDA Dance College where he completed his diploma in Professional Dance. As part of his training, Bero has taught workshops in schools, community centres and youth detention centres. Working and creating with children for a better future is one of his passions. In 2019, Bero was cast as an ensemble performer and dance captain of Opera Australia's remount of the musical Bran Nue Dae. Bero is an Associate Artist with Marrugeku and performs in their most recent work Jurrungu Ngan-ga [Straight Talk] which premiered at Carriageworks and went on to tour to the Kimberley, Melbourne, Europe and Adelaide. He has also performed extensively for large-scale events and festivals during his career.

Stanley Nalo – Co-Choreographer, Performer, Additional Music (Bloodlines)

Stanley Nalo is an emerging hip-hop dancer, born in Nouméa and raised in Vanuatu. After college, he returned to Nouméa where he has danced with many break dance crews. He competed in various hip-hop battles in France including Battle of the Year 2011 (6th place), Juste Debout 2016 (final) and was the winner of the European Street Tour 2016. Nalo has worked with choreographers such as 9 Kader Attou and Brahim Bouchelaghem. In Nouméa, he is part of Moebius Company and performed in Humanité, choreographed by Yoan Ouchot and presented as part of WAAN DANCE FESTIVAL 2017 in Nouméa. Stanley has also been involved in other artistic projects such as ilma by la Cie qui balance (Elsa Gilquin), troc en jambes choreographed by Veronique Nave from Troc en jambes company (season 2021). During 2022 he has been dancing for both endeuillés by Clément Foussier and Oeuvres, co-choregraphed by Pascal Teouri and Clément Foussier. Nalo has also been a music producer for several dance works for companies such as Nyian (Richard Digouë), la Cie qui balance (Elsa Gilquin) and the previous works mentioned Endeuillés and ilma. Nalo was also in Marrugeku’s work Le Dernier Appel which premiered in 2018.

Ghenoa Gela – Director, Co-Dramaturg (Bloodlines)

Award-winning, multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional storyteller Ghenoa Gela is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman. Some companies Gela has worked with include: Force Majeure Dance Theatre Company, Marrugeku Dance Theatre Company, Polytoxic Company, Bell Shakespeare and Circus Oz. Some credits for TV and Film include: Move it Mob Style, Nothing to Lose (documentary), The Movement (series), Are you Tougher Than Your Ancestors? and Play School Story Time. As an independent artist, Gela also navigates in the capacities of: director, writer, comedian, choreographer, performer, host, workshop facilitator and mentor in remote, regional and urban communities. Gela’s passion is aspiring to inspire.

Miranda Wheen – Associate Choreographer, Co-Dramaturg (Bloodlines)

Miranda Wheen is an independent dancer and choreographer based in Sydney. Her practice, whilst rooted in contemporary dance, spans areas of intercultural collaboration, improvisation, teaching, advocacy and dramaturgy for dance. She has been an Associate Artist with Marrugeku since 2017 and has performed in their last four shows; Cut The Sky, Burrbgaja Yalirra, Le Dernier Appel and Jurrungu Ngan-ga. Wheen is a founding member of Sydney-based Dance Makers Collective for whom she directed their last two shows Dads and The Rivoli, which continues to tour nationally into 2023. She regularly collaborates with a range of artists and companies including: Martin Del Amo, Stalker Theatre, Shaun Parker and Company, Ghenoa Gela, Mirramu Dance Company, Julie-Anne Long and the Tsai Jui-Yueh Dance Foundation in Taiwan. She has taught and choreographed for the pre-professional year at Sydney Dance Company, been a board member of FORM Dance Projects and, for a time, trained at L’Ecole des Sables in Senegal in traditional and contemporary African dance.

Emmanuel James Brown (EJB) – Co-Choreographer, Performer (Nyuju)

EJB is an actor and traditional dancer who lives in Fitzroy Crossing. When not acting, he works with his grandfather as a cultural tour guide. He has bush skills, cultural knowledge and fluency in the Bunuba language. EJB completed the one-year intensive course at WAAPA for Indigenous students, giving him a Cert IV Aboriginal Theatre, and went on to play Ilaji in Jandamarra by Steve Hawke for Black Swan State Theatre Company in the 2008 Perth International Arts Festival. He played Darudi in the drama/documentary Jandamarra’s War for Wawili, produced by Electric Pictures and directed by Mitch Torres for ABC TV. In 2014 he played Jandamarra in the concert version of the story for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House. He also worked with Yirra Yaakin in So Long Suckers. EJB has performed in Marrugeku’s most recent work Jurrungu Ngan-ga [Straight Talk] which premiered at Carriageworks, Sydney (2022) and went on to tour to the Kimberley, Melbourne and Europe.

Zee Zunnur – Associate Choreographer (Nyuju)

Zee Zunnur is a Singaporean-Malay movement artist who currently dances with Hofesh Shechter Company (UK). She started dance training at a young age in traditional Malay dance with Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts Ltd. With her strong roots in Malay culture and folk art, she sheds light on the existence, richness in wisdom and strength of Southeast Asia, re-writing the stories of her ancestors to honour them as she threads through her artistic realms. Zunnur is also an inter-arts collaborator and vows to serve the community. Being part of the pioneer batch at School of the Arts Singapore and danced with T.H.E. (Second) Dance Company, her love for contemporary dance brought her to London and graduated with a BA(Hons) from London Contemporary Dance School with a scholarship from the National Arts Council (Singapore) and Leverhulme Trust (UK). Whilst in the UK, she has worked with choreographers and companies such as Victor Quijada (RUBBERBANDance), Dane Hurst and Joseph Toonga (Just Us Dance Theatre). Other than touring internationally as a performer and teacher with Hofesh Shechter Company, she has also been invited as a guest artist and choreographer with T.H.E. Dance Company, M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Ignition Dance Festival, Esplanade da:ns Festival Singapore, Singapore Biennale and more. In Australia, she has worked with PPY in Sydney Dance Company, STRUT Dance, Co3 Australia, Marrugeku, Mitch Harvey Company, James Vu Anh Pham, Brooke Leeder, Rachel Ogle, WAAPA, Fremantle Biennale and Perth Festival. Zunnur will also co-choreograph and perform in Marrugeku’s new work Mutiara in August 2023.