As a third generation artist my background was steeped in learning about creativity and visual arts history influenced by Desiderius Orban focusing on Understanding Art and the inborn creative instinct that makes us all artists and Claudio Alcorso.

 

I was fortunate to have a very contemporary dance teacher Jean Dembitza who taught improvisation and choreography from the first lesson.

 

My profession has and is with dance as an art form.

As a dancer, teacher and choreographer I was surprised when the 1st works I choreographed gained Awards in the The Choreographic Competitions this was encouraging and led to a continued development and also being commissioned to do new works.

 

After years of teaching Classical Ballet and Creative Contemporary Dance in my own school and a variety of settings at Newport, Dural, Kinma, Marilyn Jones and Garth Welsh full time students Brookvale. St Lucy’s School for Special Needs. Choreographer AIDT, Dance teacher Eora Centre, Redfern, Redfern Dance Theatre.

 

I started The Contemporary Dance Company to perform in Schools in Sydney and NSW it was funded by the Australia Council for its Audience development factor as the participation of students became the strength of the company. Continued Choreographic professional development including Craft of Choreography Jacobs Pillow with Bessie Schonberg, every workshop and opportunity to hear and work with other creators at Critical Path and not to mention Zoom where I am collaborating with Hayley Mathews and Faultlines Dance Network in England monthly video’s sharing and supporting each other to go out and dance.

 

See Instagram Karen Kerkhoven Martha Eddy NYC Movement Research and Lucy Guerin classes from Melbourne last year and Brian Carbee’s Zoom in Sydney.......also connecting through all the Conferences that have been online. IETM APAM our own Artists Supporting Artists.

 

My purpose now is to support artists work through a number of ways.

 

Artists Supporting Artists a new initiative through Zoom and a Space Residency from Critical Path in Sydney where we worked on supporting each other as artists to help move each other’s areas of development forward each day a new experience shared through dance.

 

Imagine Residency for creators started for International Artists many Visual Artists came at first and now DAIR has provided an opportunity for Dance creators to have Residencies here it does have an outdoor stage and space in a large shed to dance or do Visual Art.

 

“On the Cusp” is a Platform for New Work and my to continue developing dance and visual art separately and interconnected as one.

 

We started it at Bangarra Studio in 2013 and it has been held each year since last year it went online with Wendy Wu, Jay Bailey, Liliana Occhiuto this went across to a live audience in Barcelona Atelier Güell where I had shown Art works for Can Serrat celebration in 2019 and had hoped to take “On the Cusp” there in 2020.

 

Recently 2021 We again showed Video works at Atelier Gûell for Cusp by Lily Gonzak, Natasha Sturgis, Jorvn Jones,

Vicki Van Hout, Marion Abboud, Shaymaa Shoukry, Bonnie Curtis and myself.

 

Facilitating and Caretaking this platform “On the Cusp” for creators is based on offering freedom of artistic expression to show new work giving audiences a new experience..

 

My own use of both dance and visual art continues to explore new territory the creating is still the most exciting part of this process and sharing also offering Interdependent Artists to take Risks in this Space is of great importance to me at this time.

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Karen Kerkhoven

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