Bluebottle have been designing in creative and unconventional ways in dance, theatre, galleries, museums, installations, music and exhibitions since 1992.

We are interested in extending the possibilities of design and the integration of light and the surrounding environment.

Bluebottle draws upon the experience of talented staff to produce the finest outcome for any project undertaken and we love a challenge.

Bluebottle has won many awards for their designs, including the John Truscott Award for Excellence in Design.

‘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

We’re very interested in collecting stories about your experiences with Stompin and to do this, we want to invite you to be part of the Stompin ‘alumni’ group called Pack.  Pack is like the Stompin Hall of Fame… each of you deserve a place in Stompin’s rich history and we want to formally acknowledge your contributions through the establishment of a dedicated group.  To start the Pack ball rolling, we were wondering if you would like to spend 5-10 minutes filling out an online survey about your Stompin experience.  Its not your average survey and we hope it provides a fun way of telling us how Stompin might have affected you. 

To do the survey, click here .  The survey is completely confidential. We will never identify you by name, shirt size or other personal characteristic now or in the future.  If you have any questions or problems accessing the survey, please contact Stompin and we will help you out.

Kind regards

Melody West on behalf of Pack

live & all-at-once by young Tasmanians. 

Stompin presents WeTubeLIVE, a diverse group of young Tasmanians in a large-scale performed response to the social networking site YouTube.

Each performer has selected and learned their favorite YouTube clip and we’ll present them all together and all at the same time, filling Launceston’s beautiful Albert Hall with dancing, talking and singing young people.

This is not your regular sit-down performance, Stompin invites you to wander through our giant living exhibition; come and go as many times as you like and see what we’re up to, what we’re into and who we are.

Thursday 26 and Friday 27 August 2010

Albert Hall, 45 Tamar Street, Launceston

1pm and 6pm sessions both days

75 minute sessions

Suitable for all ages

A non-seated event. Wheelchair accessible

A $10 pass gets you into all four sessions

Tickets on sale at Theatre North Ph. 03 6323 3666 or www.theatrenorth.com.au

Hurry book now so you don’t miss out!

Dates: January 2010

Participants: 20 Tasmanian Creative Arts Summer school participants

The University of Tasmania invited Stompin to provide the dance component of its highly successful Tasmanian Creative Arts Summer School program held at the Academy of the Arts. Led by Adam Wheeler, the workshop consisted of a solid introduction to contemporary dance technique alongside investigations into dance composition, choreography and safe dance practices. Utilising Adam’s own dance methodology, derived from his professional experiences with Australia’s leading dance practitioners, the workshop culminated in a collaboratively developed performance exploring the popular social phenomenon – flash mobbing.  The participants worked towards university credits.

Stompin and the University have entered into a new partnership. The University provided Stompin with Scholarships to award young people in grade 11 or 12 in 2010 who Stompin has worked with throughout 2009. These Scholarships and this partnership will continue for the 2011 Tasmanian Creative Arts Summer School.

Participants: Tasmanian High Schools and Colleges

Dates: Ongoing, throughout the school year

A contemporary dance workshop taught by Emma Porteus in the high schools of Launceston and regional Tasmania. These workshops are a powerful resource for recruiting future Stompin members and are often the first exposure for many regional young people to contemporary art.

A School Pack has been sent to all Tasmanian schools offering workshops, tickets to YouTubeLive, opportunities to participate in YouTubeLive and the potential to be involved in the Tasmanian Creative Arts Summer School in 2011. Each school pays for workshops and tickets to YouTubeLive.

Concept development: Becky Hilton

Participants: Grade 5 and 6 students confirmed from Northern Tasmanian schools.

Development: 2^nd and 3^rd term 2010 in schools

Event: End of 3^rd term 2010 in Launceston at the Stompin Studio

The Kindness is a participatory art project designed specifically for upper primary level students. It involves Tasmanian primary schools, local and regional. The Kindness project is led by Stompin alumni, teacher and community artist, Emma Porteus. The participants will collect and collate written, recorded, filmed, drawn, photographed and performed moments of kindness they have witnessed, heard about, read about, experienced or generated. Each child will create his or her own kindness collection. At the culmination of the project, Stompin will exhibit this giant kindness library in our home space with a multi media art party for all the participants. We see The Kindness as a way to introduce the values and aesthetics of Stompin to 10 to 12 year olds:  a simple, fun process with a social conscience and a celebratory outcome.

Concept: Becky Hilton

Director: Adam Wheeler

Rehearsal Director: Emma Porteus

Cast: 16 Stompin dancers

Mentor: Becky Hilton

Development: September 2009

Performances: Launceston Festivale – 12 February 2010

Equal parts archaeological dig, contemporary dance and flash mob, Adam and the dancers have mined the Stompin dance archive to create a 5-7 minute dance. This mash up of our favourite Stompin moves from our 18-year history is flexible in design and morphs in response to various performance contexts. This Dance Is Who We Are features choreography from past Stompin works from Jerril Rechter, Luke George, Bec Reid, Stephanie Lake, Antony Hamilton and Adam Wheeler. This is a ready-made, rapid response Stompin signature event for us to perform at local events, launches, festivals, street fairs, school celebrations, award ceremonies and block parties etc. This Dance Is Who We Are is very us, very now and very much about the collaborative process.

WeTubeLive

Concept and Direction: Ben Speth

Design Realisation and Production: Frog Peck and Eduard Ingles from Bluebottle

Cast: Young Tasmanians

Project Facilitators: Becky Hilton, Adam Wheeler and Emma Porteus

Development: January – August 2010

Performances: 26 and 27 August 2010

A living exhibition of 100 solos ripped from the internet performed live & all-at-once by young Tasmanians.

Stompin presents WeTubeLIVE, a diverse group of young Tasmanians in a large-scale performed response to the social networking site YouTube.

Each performer has selected and learned their favorite YouTube clip and we’ll present them all together and all at the same time, filling Launceston’s beautiful Albert Hall with dancing, talking and singing young people.

This is not your regular sit-down performance, Stompin invites you to wander through our giant living exhibition; come and go as many times as you like and see what we’re up to, what we’re into and who we are.

Stompin has collaborated with over 80 Australian artists, arts workers and volunteers and over 300 young performers over the past 19 years for which we are extremely grateful, for their vision, commitment and creativity. If you are interested in being involved in any of Stompin’s activity call or email us.

Uncover This in a house and cul-de-sac in Launceston – an edgy two-part dance experience that turns private lives into public property. Choreographer Adam Wheeler

Home in Roberts Woolstore, Launceston – Home is about the place we live and the living we create. Choreographer Luke George

Bone Dry and Green in Roxby Downs, South Australia. Choreographers Adam Wheeler and Emma Porteus

Special Mention at Sydney Opera House – Special Mention explores the relentless pressure to succeed and the growing cultural divide created by our judgment of failure.Choreographers Luke George and Bec Reid

Citizen in Qantas Maintenance Hangar, Launceston Airport in 10 Days on the Island – Citizen looks at the choices young people make in relation to who they are right now, who they aspire to be and who they are choosing to become. Choreographers Bec Reid and Stephanie Lake.

Drill at Sydney Opera House. Choreographers Luke George and Bec Reid

Age of Consent in Pilgrim Hall, Launceston – Age of Consent examines the choices young people make in relation to the written and unwritten rules that shape their lives. Choreographer Luke George. Creative Workshop at Old Womens Jail in Melbourne in Next Wave Festival. Choreographer Bec Reid

SYNC toured to 8 Tasmanian regional swimming pools in 10 Days on the Island – S.Y.N.C. explores how pools provide environments for young people to socialise and be themselves – loitering, congregating and meeting. Choreographers Luke George and Bec Reid

Joyride at Windmill Hill Swimming Pool, Launceston. All above Luke George and Bec Reid. Underground at Rollerworld, Launceston – Underground explores sub-cultures, life in layers and the things that are literally in the earth below us.

Primed at Inveresk, Launceston. Choreographer Jerril Rechter. Primed at Inveresk, Launceston. Choreographer Jerril Rechter