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Susan Barling
This creative journey started with the dress, it was the spark that called me to action. It is a wonderful thing that was created in 1996 by Annaleigh Moore to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Kandos Cement Works. The design of the dress has a futuristic flavour, which I feel represents the changes that were starting to occur for Annaleigh at that time. Other inspiration comes from the cement works, its history and the effects on the Kandos community. Kate Hodkinson, a local textile artist will recreate the dress/costume for this project. Kim Deacon, a Hill End based performer and composer and Robyn Godfrey, a local musician/performer and teacher, will come together to create and perform their own composition for this dance project.
bio:
Susan Barling is an independent dance artist based in the central west NSW. Originally from Sydney, her career began as a dancer at The Koblenz Opera Theatre in Germany before returning to Australia to join the Sydney Dance Company. After performing and touring extensively throughout Australia and overseas, she left the company and completed a Graduate Diploma in Movement Studies at NIDA. She then became a teacher of movement for actors as well a tutor of contemporary dance for many dance schools throughout Sydney. Susan is a founding member of Australian Dance Artists, a dance collective that was formed in the late 1990s. Having invited artist/sculptor Ken Unsworth to collaborate on one of our early productions ‘Moving Earth’, we then set sail together and forged a wonderful collaboration, which has produced 13 productions over the past 20 years.
statement:
My practice encompasses many varied influences. I have trained with many wonderful teachers and worked with choreographers encompassing different styles and techniques. Contemporary dance is my passion and also the way I can communicate different thoughts, ideas and emotions. The dress was the spark that ignited this artistic journey and then all the important elements that make up this performance have emerged in a very organic way. A big thank you to Kim Deacon, a Hill End-based performer and composer and Robyn Godfrey, who has recently moved to Mudgee after a long career performing and teaching in Sydney. And Kate Hodgkinson who has recreated the dress.
