Transforming Life Experience - April 29-May 2, 2021
“Liberating, funny and fun, extraordinary, deeply moving, important and peaceful.” - participant
Join Dawn Albinger and Julie Robson at High Spirits Retreat in Kin Kin for a long weekend of creative exploration and play to generate, compose and refine your own performance material. As they lead you through their range of devising processes, you will create performance based on the re/writing of your own life stories and experience. Discover your potential for personal, cultural and artistic transformation, ignite your passion for contemporary performance, and make and perform using pleasure and ease. The workshop is driven by an emphasis on quietude, presence and poetics:
Quietude: What happens when we slow down, observe and listen to our external and internal landscapes? What can we create from this space of quietude and renewed sense of time and perception?
Presence: What do we mean when we say someone has presence? What do we have to do to be present - in performance, life and landscape? How does this state of grace charge our work?
Poetics: What performance material can I create from my passions, histories and preoccupations? How can I perform with authenticity and heighten my sense of beauty to hone my own style?
Ladyfinger has been running this immersive performance-making retreat since 2011, This year it will be held once again at High Spirits Retreat, which is situated in the beautiful green rolling hills of Noosa hinterland in southeast Queensland, Australia. The venue has been designed for both comfort and training, and includes a purpose-built hall, a large salt water swimming pool and sauna. It is the perfect space to rest, reflect and create. For those already familiar with High Spirits Retreat, please note this is not a detox retreat. We will however be providing delicious and nutritious vegetarian meals.
What you can expect:
Expect to create an original, short performance or work-in-progress and engage in supportive feedback as it develops. You will also audience and inform the work of other makers. Your performance might be a new, discrete piece in itself, an excerpt towards a longer work, or the development of your pre-existing material.
The retreat is structured in three parts: The first chapter is focused on generating, the second on composing, and the third on scoring and refining. Daily group workshops are used to warm up the body and voice, and to set the focus and key practices for the day. Devising exercises that bring awareness to your own inner and outer landscapes are used to yield text, action and dramaturgy. Expect to be challenged, delighted and surprised by yourself and others, and by the ‘beautiful questions’ that arise along the way.
What participants have said:
“I experienced a renewed sense of purpose, a rekindled love of performance, and a deep admiration and respect for the creatives.”
“A life changing experience.”
“The quality of the presence of both Julie & Dawn was exceptional.”
“The flexibility with which the content was delivered was astounding.”
Retreat numbers strictly limited to 10 people:
Full registration: $1,100.00 - all-inclusive of workshop, accommodation, bed linen, meals, sauna and pool.
Early Bird registration: $990.00 if paid in full by March 7, 2021.
Contact us at hello@ladyfinger.com.au if you are interested to attend.
Arrival is between 11am and 12pm Thursday, April 29, 2021. Lunch will be served at 12pm (midday). Departure is on Sunday May 2 at 2pm and we will share lunch before leaving. Sharing quality meals together is an important aspect of the retreat so we will request any dietary requirements.