Lucy Guerin Inc Annual Report 2017 Lucy Guerin Inc - 2017 Annual Report Contents Lucy Guerin Inc - 2017 Annual Report “[…] everything that’s exciting 2017 Highlights about dance as an art form.” - The Music Split, March 2017 1,608 LGI works audience presented in members in 9 10 different Melbourne Studio cities around Residents the world 17 secondees, 3 from interstate 181 activities delivered for emerging artists, 1,374 reaching 4,353 class audience attendees $42,718 fundraising secured 151 FREE 17 activities provided professional Secured development ongoing federal, opportunities state & local provided government funding 2 Above and Cover: Split Image by Gregory Lorenzutti 3 Lucy Guerin Inc - 2017 Annual Report Snapshots Lucy Guerin Inc - 2017 Annual Report Snapshots Snapshot of 2017 Performances Residencies • 42 shows across 10 cities • 9 studio residencies provided to independent artists • 2 world premieres: Attractor at AsiaTOPA and Split at Dance • 1 Resident Director, Prue Lang, was engaged Massive • 9 national performances (Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide) and 5 Secondments international performances (Los Angeles and Portland, USA) of Attractor • 8 performances of Split in Melbourne • 17 independent, early career dancers received secondment places • 12 international performances of Motion Picture in Paris, Orléans, Reims (France), Brugge (Belgium) and Dusseldorf (Gemany) International activity • 3 performances of The Dark Chorus in Hobart • 5 performances of Pieces for Small Spaces in Melbourne • Attendance at 2 international arts markets • Toured works to France, Belgium, Germany and the US Creative Development • Secured 11 weeks of touring for Split from August to December in 2018, touring Indonesia, Australia, Europe, Japan and USA • 2 weeks of development for new work Split • 2 weeks of development for new work, Make Your Own World, to premiere Awards in 2019 • Winner of the 2017 Helpmann Award for Best Female Dancer in a Workshops & Classes ballet, dance or physical theatre production – Lilian Steiner for Split • 1 Hotbed workshop with international choreographer Bruno Freire • Winner of the 2017 Helpmann Award for Best Choreography in a • 146 regular, open dance & yoga classes ballet, dance or physical theatre production (Lucy Guerin and Gideon Obarzanek) for Attractor Studio Programs • Winner of the 2017 Helpmann Award for Best Dance Production • Launched and hosted the first Critter evening - a new artist feedback (Dancenorth and Lucy Guerin Inc, with Melbourne Arts Centre, Asia program TOPA, WOMADelaide and Brisbane Festival) for Attractor • 30 Yellow Wheelers received 82 days of in-kind stu dio space • 5 artists were commissioned to make new works for our Pieces for Small • Winner of the 2017 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Spaces program, with a focus on engaging First Nations Artists and Achievement in Choreography – Lucy Guerin for The Dark Chorus audiences • Winner of the 2017 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer – Benjamin Hancock for The Dark Chorus 4 5 Lucy Guerin Inc - 2017 Annual Report Chair’s Report Lucy Guerin Inc - 2017 Annual Report Chair’s Report Chair’s Report Chloe Munro AO As detailed in the following pages, 2017 was an farewell to Elly Bloom, who stepped down after immensely rewarding year for Lucy Guerin Inc. seven years of service. In August we welcomed Four extraordinarily diverse works developed in Georgina Russell whose expertise in brand, the preceding years were presented to a variety of marketing and communications is a perfect audiences across Australia and overseas. complement to the professional skill set of the other board members. The intrigue of Motion Picture, the theatricality of The Dark Chorus, the pared-back intensity of Split To take full advantage of our new location will and the sheer exuberance of Attractor together require the company to move to a new scale of exemplify the luminous talent of our Artistic operation. The board is ever mindful of its fiduciary Director, Lucy Guerin, and the many dancers and duty and obligation to the governments and other artists with whom she collaborates so well. philanthropists who support us. We maintain our Gratifyingly these works were nominated for, and financial reserves as a buffer that enables us to won, numerous awards. We are delighted by the take a carefully judged degree of risk. I am pleased recognition (see page five for the full list). to report that we were able to grow our reserves in FY 2017 through our retained surplus of $91,963. The company’s busy studio program continued This sets us up well to wear the additional costs to fulfil a critical role in nurturing the wider associated with relocation in 2018 and to invest contemporary dance community and particularly some of our cash holdings in capital expenditure in supporting early career independent artists. As associated with the fit-out. mentioned in previous reports, our ability to take new initiatives that add to the value of this program This new scale of operation will also require some has been held back by the physical limitations of prudent adjustment to our staffing arrangements. our premises. In the meantime, the core team of three has done an extraordinary job to manage a busy touring Relocation to a more flexible schedule, studio program, business development, venue has been a strategic relationship management, fundraising and reporting, and take on the additional work of goal for several years. It was the relocation project. Our Executive Producer, only in 2017 that the aspiration Annette Vieusseux, has again shown astonishing became a firm prospect capacity and drive in her achievements not just for the company but in the wider sector. In We are proud and grateful to have established a happy news, our Company Manager, Claire relationship with philanthropist and impact investor Bradley Duke, departed on maternity leave Terry Wu, and to have secured the opportunity to mid-year. Congratulations, Claire, on the birth of move into his property in North Melbourne. This your daughter. Tegan Nash joined us as Acting possibility was cemented right at the end of the Company Manager in a seamless handover and year by a generous grant from Creative Victoria has been an excellent addition to the team. towards the fit-out of the warehouse as a co- working space specifically suited to dance. We are deeply grateful for the funding that makes it all possible – from government agencies, Already a major activity for the team in 2017, foundations, and individual donors. In this report planning and executing the relocation and you will see what an extraordinary amount is associated development program will be our achieved with these resources. Profound thanks principal focus in 2018. On this note, I’d like to are due to everyone who has given so unstintingly acknowledge the wholehearted commitment of of their time and talent to make the company our board to the company and to this demanding so productive - our board and staff, associates, project. Each member has contributed their artistic collaborators and professional service personal capability to the relevant aspect of providers. the strategy and will continue to assist our staff fulsomely in 2018. At the AGM in May we bade 6 Prue Lang Critter Image Bryony Jackson Pieces for Small Space 2017, Yumi Umiamare Image by Bryony Jackson 7 Lucy Guerin Inc - 2017 Annual Report Artistic Director’s Report Lucy Guerin Inc - 2017 Annual Report Artistic Director’s Report Artistic Director’s Report Lucy Guerin 2017 marked fifteen years since Lucy Guerin Inc critical dialogue and feedback. Our Resident was established in 2002. Director was Prue Lang who developed a new work Stellar Project, attended board meetings, taught classes and was mentored in aspects It is incredible to think of of fundraising and company management. We those small beginnings, how continued to host Yellow Wheel, our resident much has happened since youth dance company led by Adam Wheeler who and how many people have inspired and mentored over 30 young people at our studios. A public dance symposium, Dance contributed their talent and Becoming Data, was presented in the studio, energy to the company. organised by visiting academic Scott Delahunta and discussed different ways of documenting We celebrated with a birthday anniversary dance digitally. We had a two-week research bash at the studio, with our talented community period for a new work involving seven dancers generously donating performances. It was a that was documented by Scott for archival brilliant celebration of the company’s past and purposes. contribution to the future: Creative Partnerships Our final event for the year was Pieces for Small Australia matched all entry donations, resulting in Spaces, which presented five choreographers a successful fundraising campaign. in a program of short new works. Curated by This was an intense and inspiring year on the Mariaa Randal, Prue Lang and me, it focused on artistic front. Two new works came into being – a mix of indigenous and non-indigenous artists of Split and Attractor–both of which were satisfying different backgrounds. to me as a maker, and well received locally and On a personal note, I took long service leave in internationally. 2017 for three months. This time to reflect on We began the year with an international tour of the work of the company over the last 15 years Motion Picture to France, Germany and Belgium and to consider what’s to come was very timely in January. Then in February premiered Attractor, and I feel really excited by the next phase. In a new co-production with Dancenorth. This 2017 we forged a new relationship with impact was a dynamic choreographic collaboration investor and art lover Terry Wu who will support with Gideon Obarzanek, Indonesian musicians the company in its move to a new premises in Senyawa and the dancers from Dancenorth 2018. This will mean vastly improved facilities for which sold out at the inaugural AsiaTOPA dancers and choreographers and the ability to Festival.