Preserving Australian Modern Dance

Renewing a Pedagogy for the Bodenwieser Technique

In this lecture-demonstration, scholar Wesley Lim and choreographers James Batchelor and Ruth Osborne explore the movement legacy of modern dance pioneer Gertrud Bodenwieser and the lineage of her teaching in Australia.

Lim will introduce Bodenwieser’s radical modernist practice, brought to Australia in 1939, tracing a movement language shaped by waves, circles and spirals, and an ethos connecting dance with ethics, social awareness and expression. Through live demonstration, Osborne and Batchelor will share key principles of the technique and their work in renewing the lineage in contemporary practice.

Drawing on the latest research into Bodenwieser’s pedagogy, the event offers an immersive encounter with this influential dance tradition, culminating in a short performance by Batchelor inspired by the discussed material, followed by an audience Q&A.

Panel

James Batchelor is a choreographer with an international practice spanning performance, research and teaching. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Victorian College of the Arts and is studying a Masters of Philosophy at ANU. The Masters involves an in-depth focus on dance pedagogy, bringing together historical and contemporary theories and methods. James brings fourteen years of professional experience in leading dance practice with people of a wide range of abilities, ages and experience levels. 

Wesley Lim is James' supervisor helping him to create a dance pedagogy based on the technique and ethos of Bodenwieser. He is now a Senior Lecturer in German Studies at the ANU. His award-winning research deals with analysing the dancing and moving body in literature and screen primarily in German culture but also in a transnational context. In his research he uses dance studies, performance studies, cultural studies, gender and queer studies approaches. Wesley also teaches all levels of German language, literature and culture.

Ruth Osborne is a pioneering Australian dance artist, educator and advocate for youth dance. As founder and former Artistic Director of Quantum Leap in Canberra, she shaped generations of young dancers through an innovative practice grounded in creativity, collaboration and social engagement. A long-time teacher and mentor, Osborne has also contributed to preserving and transmitting the lineage of Gertrud Bodenwieser through her studies with Margaret Chappell and ongoing commitment to embodied pedagogical practice.

Street Three | Unreserved | 90 Minutes
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