In the latest issue of 3008 Docklands magazine, I talk to the delightful Richard Nylon about feathers, fashion and the ballet.

Richard Nylon has always been fascinated by feathers. “Birds are the closest thing to dinosaurs that we have,” he says. “So the idea is that feathers are modified scales. They’re made of protein like our hair and our fingernails, and they’re really wonderful to work with.”

Recognised as one of Australia’s most talented and innovative milliners, Nylon’s extraordinary creations blur the lines between fashion and art. Playing with both vintage and cutting-edge styles, he uses a variety of materials to create headpieces that make a real statement- but feathers always seem to bring something special to the piece.

“They’re so lightweight and dramatic and beautiful,” Nylon says. “From a distance they’re lovely, and up close they’re amazing as well. I appreciate them as wonderful objects.”

Elegant, witty, and guaranteed to capture attention, Nylon’s headpieces are coveted amongst fashionistas for the Spring Racing Carnival, and some of his more extravagant one-off creations are on display in the permanent collections of cultural institutions like the National Gallery of Victoria.

Now, his iconic headpieces are taking centre stage in Aviary, a ballet performance unlike any other soon to premier during the Melbourne Festival 2011. Developed by BalletLab in association with The Australian Ballet, Aviary is a flamboyant explosion of dance, music, costumes and light. (more…)

Published in 3008 Docklands magazine

On stage at the Arts Centre this September, Bangarra Dance Theatre presents Belong, a unique exploration of the lives of urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. This is a new generation of Indigenous storytellers, using a powerful new language that combines the traditional and the contemporary to tell the story of their own cultural identity.

Bangarra Dance Theatre is Australia’s premier Indigenous performing arts company. Since 1989, the Sydney-based company has been presenting invigorating performances that embrace and celebrate Australian Indigenous culture, performing to over 50,000 people around Australia and the world.

One of Bangarra’s lead dancers, Daniel Riley McKinley, says the focus on identity gives dancers and audiences a chance to challenge preconceived ideas about Aboriginality, and to explore different ways of connecting to the past.

“Every year we do a show that challenges our identity and the issues involved in it,” he says. While the dancers are all from Indigenous bloodlines, Bangarra places traditional values and customs in a contemporary context, challenging the ways audiences are used to seeing Aboriginal culture. (more…)

In 3008 Docklands magazine, I talked to Rowan Heydon-White about finding love in Circus Oz…

For most couples, working together is somewhat fraught with danger. But when your work involves flying through the air on a trapeze and hanging upside down from poles, things are… a little different.

Circus Oz performers Rowan Heydon-White and Mason West met when they were starring together in a show in New Zealand. Three years later, they’re still tumbling and twirling on stage together, and Heydon-White says that neither their romantic relationship nor their working relationship has hindered the other.

“We do work all day together and live together as well, so there’s really no time apart,” she says. “But in a circus, there’s a lot of trust. If I was going to fall, I’d expect him to catch me. So fighting isn’t really a possibility- there are more important things. (more…)

Published on lipmag.com

Plenty of women would kill to look like Jenifer Ringer. The 37-year-old ballerina is slim, toned and healthy, with a million-watt smile, and something about her that just seems to sparkle.

But according to New York Times critic Alastair Macaulay, this beautiful woman ‘looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many’ in her performance as the Sugar Plum Fairy for the New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker late last month.

In any situation, such a comment seems cruel and unnecessary. When you add the fact that Ringer has suffered from anorexia in the past, disparaging her for not being skinny enough seems even more out of line, and Macaulay was hit back with avalanche of complaints from readers saying just that.

The interesting thing is that rather than apologising and backing down in response to the criticism, Macaulay has gone on to defend his comments. And he opens up quite an interesting debate. (more…)