Hi!

We are Jenn Ma, Kaitlin Malone, Nak Assa & David Leupolu. We are the cast of ‘Home(s)’, a collective of Melbourne-based dance artists who identify as second generation immigrants in Australia. Together, we are presenting a new dance work at the Melbourne Fringe Festival and we need your help to make this a reality. 

What are we creating?

Home(s) is a collaboration between artists from contemporary dance, street dance and experimental music backgrounds to delve into our complex identities as second-generation immigrants in Australia. Unravelling our own experiences, this dance work investigates our sense of belonging at the crossroads of diverse cultural influences.

Where it all began…

“I’m Taiwanese, I’m Australian… I’m somewhere in between. Growing up between two worlds, I sometimes feel like I’m an outsider in my own home; as if there is always a missing link between myself and the cultures I call ‘home’.” says Jenn, the choreographer of ‘Home(s)’. Through this project, Jenn brings together artists who not only come from diverse cultural backgrounds but also, uniquely different dance styles to collectively explore their experiences of being in between two worlds. 

Why are we creating this?

Our stories are different but they aren’t exclusive. There are many with our experiences, especially in Australia. We identify with multiple cultures and our cultural identities are always evolving. In current times, we think it is extremely relevant to encourage ourselves and others to celebrate diversity. Similarly, by breaking down the confines of our respective dance styles, we are also re-learning, re-adapting and evolving our artistic identities to be more open and receptive of others. 

By facilitating a space for exchange and dialogue, ‘Home(s)’ is not just a dance work, but also an initiative for collaboration between contemporary and street dance artists. Based on our current observations of Melbourne’s dance scene, all the communities are quite segregated and it is very rare for communities of different genres to intersect. Collectively through this work, we hope to showcase the possibilities of such collaborations and create further dialogue around diverse cross-genre creations. 

Who are we?

Jenn has assembled a team of diverse artists in dance, music and lighting. 

Outside of the studio, Jenn works at a bar, Nak is a hairdresser, Kaitlin works at a cafe, and David studies Youth Work at University with a part time job at a supermarket. We all live our lives around the clock outside of dancing and are donating our own time and effort every week to create together because we believe in the power of collaboration and the importance of our stories as both dancers and as people. 

This project is not funded by any grants and we need your donations so we don’t burn out from making art. 

The $4,000 target will attempt to cover most of the following expenses: 

Venue hire: $2,800

Rehearsal space hire: $640

Marketing (photos, videos, advertising): $700

Production costs (costumes, lighting design/operating): $700

Insurance Cover: $160 

Artist Fees: $2,000

Total: $7,000

What’s coming in: 

Crowdfunding target: $4,000

Projected ticket sales: $2,100

Fundraising workshop/showing: $380

Total: $6,480

I'm hoping the ticket sales will be better than projected because as you can see, there are big bills to pay! As an independent artist, I don’t expect to receive any profit from this project, I just want to break even and not go out of pocket. However, I really want to be able to pay all the artists I brought onboard with me; for their valuable time, efforts and artistic input.  

Final note

Your support is crucial for the project to happen and to help us make an impact with our art. Any donation is incredibly generous and will be appreciated! Thank you, and we hope to see you at the premiere of ‘Home(s)’ this September. 

TICKETING INFO:

SHOWTIMES:

Sep 12, 13 & 14, 8pm
Sept 14, 3pm
Duration: 45 mins approx.

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TICKETS:

$25 Full | $20 Concession | Fringe Dwellers | Fringe Binge

DANCEHOUSE: https://www.trybooking.com/BELGS
MELB FRINGE: https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/homes/

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VENUE:

Dancehouse - Sylvia Staehli Theatre
150 Princes Street, North Carlton, Victoria 3054

Photo Credits: 

Cover image & first image by: Jeff Andersen Jnr

Rest of the images by: Shuttermain