Contemporary dancer.
Improviser.
Artist?
A Very Serious Third-Year Work
Image courtesy of Tom Salisbury and Olivia Fisher, Deakin University
Reuben is a dancer and emerging artist with a particular interest in improvisation. They are a company member of Yellow Wheel and one of the facilitators of On The Table at Dancehouse. Reuben earned a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Dance) with Distinction from Deakin University… It is the most expensive piece of paper they will ever own. Reuben spends a lot of time in youth practice and has recently been thinking deeply about attention - as performer and audience member. They are interested in how the act of live movement generation narrows and focuses attention. Reuben and the word “practice” are old foes, and they still engage in regular skirmishes. Reuben is a huge process nerd whose public work often ends up accidentally being about choreography or rehearsal.
Upcoming Projects
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Reuben will be investigating durational improvisation by dancing continuously for eight hours. Audience are invited to watch via YouTube livestream.
Sunday 17 November 9am - 5pm.
Recent Projects
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Meet Reuben
Reuben is a contemporary dancer and emerging artist living in Naarm/Melbourne.
Third person singular is how you write a resume, right? It feels weirdly impersonal. Let’s add something with a bit more humanity.
They grew up dancing on unceded Dja Dja Wurrung land in central Victoria. Reuben’s local studio became a place for creativity and vulnerability, and in many ways they are looking to recreate this space elsewhere.
I think one is supposed to prove their credentials. Um, what have I done? Oh, I’ve worked with some cool people!
They danced in the openings of the 2017 and 2019 Castlemaine State Festivals, working with Robbie Graham, then with Bec Jensen and Sarah Aiken. Reuben worked with choreographer Gilbert Douglas to teach and perform for the Together program in 2022. They attended the 2022 Australian Youth Dance Festival, dancing with Bec Jensen, Sinsa Mansell, Alisdair Macindoe, Mason Kelly-
- And a bunch of fantastic young dancers!
… And a collective of emerging artists.
Since 2022, Reuben has been a Company member of Yellow Wheel, a critical piece of Melbourne’s dance architecture that supports young and emerging artists. Kyall Shanks and Jacqui Maida provoked Reuben’s creative interests. Highlights include creating and performing with the Company.
Now I’m really misleading you. The highlights have been turning up for training and improvisation. And talking… so much talking! It seems to me that we prioritise discussing the works we have made or the choreographers we have worked for. I’m not sure if this resonates with others out there, but the deepest impressions on me have been left by the people I dance with.
In 2023, Reuben completed their Bachelor of Creative Arts from Deakin University. The culmination of these studies involved making a 45-minute solo work, as well as collaborating with peers to create a festival encapsulating their graduation works.
And now I’m in the void, staring down a world which seems, if not actively opposed to a career in dance, then at least oblivious to its challenges. Which is to say, um…
Reuben is working part-time, developing some smaller-scale creative projects, and hopes to dance and choreograph with collaborators new and returning.
(Thanks to Paea Leach, from whom this format was adapted.)
Image courtesy of Tom Salisbury and Olivia Fisher, Deakin University