In wishing Stompin every success for the future Becky Hilton states:
‘It has been an absolute privilege to work with the enthusiastic pack of young people, partners, supporters, artists and audiences that make Stompin such a long-term success story. I unreservedly believe in Stompin and in the enormous creative and social capital it has generated in its nineteen-year history; nurturing a generation of influential Australian dance artists, pioneering a consultative and inclusive youth and community dance engagement model and creating a body of memorable contemporary performance work in collaboration with some of Australia’s most interesting emerging artists. All of this while working with non-professional young people and their extended communities in a regional environment, Stompin is my hero! I will remain an active member of the Stompin Board and will continue to champion Stompin whenever, wherever and to whomever I can.’
Stompin is a community oriented youth dance company based in Launceston, generating art that links regional youth aged 14-26 years to contemporary dance and performance. The company creates flexible processes and performances for, about and by young people.
After working as Artistic Curator with Stompin for 16 months, Becky Hilton is moving onto our Board where she’ll maintain an important and active role.
Stompin has decided, at this point in time, to focus our resources locally as we continue to provide inclusive, contemporary, socially relevant dance experiences for young Tasmanians, their extended communities, our stakeholders and audiences.
We are very fortunate to have experienced and passionate Launceston based artist Emma Porteus ready, willing and able to step into the role of part-time Artistic Director.
Emma Porteus is a proud and successful product of the Stompin model. She brings a wealth of local knowledge, a great love of contemporary dance and a demonstrated commitment to the inclusive community engagement practices for which Stompin is renowned. Upon completion of her Bachelor of Arts degree in Contemporary Dance at Deakin University (graduating with distinction), Emma undertook and completed her honours research into the collaborative process. She has worked in various capacities on a myriad of youth dance and community projects through out Tasmania and Australia, including with Dancehouse (Vic), Next Wave (Vic), Tasdance (Tas), 10 Days on the Island (Tas), Tracks (NT) and Stompin (Tas, Vic, SA). She is an experienced ‘dance in schools’ artist designing programs for primary, secondary and tertiary contexts. Emma is lead artist for Stompin’s ‘WeTubeLIVE’ (Junction, 2010) working with a diverse range of young people and community groups from regional Tasmania and is facilitating ‘The Kindness’, Stompin’s new upper primary school initiative. Emma recently returned from an Arts Tas funded residency with Tracks and is excited to count David MacMicken (Tracks Artistic Director) as an active professional mentor as she embarks on this exciting new phase in her career.
Emma and Executive Producer Sarah McCormack will form a strong and visible Tasmanian partnership at the helm of Stompin. Adam Wheeler will continue in his role as Stompin Artistic Associate.
I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Becky Hilton for the generosity, rigour and artistic leadership she brought to Stompin during her tenure. We look forward to continuing to draw upon her considerable knowledge of the national and international contemporary dance and community arts scenes and her generous mentoring skills as she assumes an active role on the Stompin Board. Becky is an Australia Council Dance Board Fellow for 2010/11 and we wish her every success as she focuses on her Fellowship activities.
Raoul Harper
Chair of the Board of Directors, Stompin
