Little Mick lives in Moora. He always has. Before I met him, his only dance experience was some ballroom dancing classes that he attended with his grandma. Little Mick is 30 years old, an electrician and, in his words, ‘five foot, 20 inches’ tall.  Moora is a remote community in regional Western Australia, population 1800.

To understand my work as a choreographer, you need to meet the people I work with. People like Little Mick.

Little Mick rocked up to the Moora Performing Arts Centre alone, having been dropped off by his wife, Katie, who is expecting their first child. Little Mick had shown up because he’d seen my callout for men to perform in a contemporary dance work called The Beauty Index.

You see, I create contemporary dance performances with everyday people, and The Beauty Index is especially for men.

First created with men from Denmark and Albany in Western Australia, I am now making five new versions in five regional towns: Moora, Harvey, Ravensthorpe, Kalgoorlie and hopefully, Mandurah (if they get the funding).

I first made this work in 2017. I did it because every morning, the news was filled with stories of extreme violence – terrorism, family violence, bar fights. I felt helpless. But then I wondered if I could make a small contribution to this global problem by inviting men in my town, Denmark (Kwoorabup), to create a performance.  Luckily, they said yes and together we made The Beauty Index, a dance that explores fear and terror. But more importantly it shows the struggle to bring about beauty in the world, to hold our humanity and compassion for each other.  Our community got behind us and the show sold out. The following year, it was shortlisted for an Australian dance award, amazing!

Through my dance projects I often challenge gender stereotypes and encourage people to step outside of their comfort zones and become performers. I’m with them every step of the way, and with my team, we train them, provide costumes for them and create intensely meaningful, high-quality performances.