Footscray Community Arts Centre

Blogs: Get With The Program

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Ready, set…

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Welcome to Get with the Program - our blog where I get to talk about some of the things that are going on within the Centre’s Artistic Program, not only in terms of what’s available to the public, but also to give you an idea of what is happening behind the scenes.  Get with the Program will also feature guest blogging from members of Footscray Community Arts Centre’s Program Team, so keep your eyes peeled for insightful comments, serious analysis and all the goss from on the ground in the wonderful world of Footscray Community Arts Centre programming.

Importantly, this is where you will find information on all the global projects, people, sites and stimulus that is making our collective creative brain tick over…

Polytoxic

We were thrilled to be able to host a community workshop for young islander dancers led by Efeso Fa’anana and Lisa Fa’alafiin (for more information on this workshop visit Latest News).  Polytoxic are an interesting company who mix traditional and contemporary dance styles as well as some pretty cheesy (in a good way!) physical theatre.  It was certainly refreshing to see a contemporary take on islander culture live on stage.  In fact it drilled home how Anglo this country’s main stage content is. Occasionally (very occasionally - to our eternal shame!) we see some indigenous content coming through but in general, we are still seeing mainstream Anglo (white) culture represented on our stages, in our films and on our TVs etc. In the land of the ‘fair go’ what happened to giving everyone a fair go?  Or is a fair go, just for ones’ mates?

This is why I think Teuila Postcards is an important show – because it broke with the mainstream by telling a tale which drew its inspiration from a non-dominant culture, whilst steering clear of ethno-pornography (as I like to refer to the dioramic display of traditional cultures). Equally as important, it brought non-Anglo audience members into a traditional theatre venue, made them feel welcome and included by reflecting their heritage on stage and reaffirmed to many young performers that they too can forge a career in the performing arts regardless of their nationality or skin colour.

For more information on Polytoxic visit their website

For more information on support for multicultural arts, visit Kultour