OTEN

Choreographer/Performer: Tara Samaya

Film Director: Pippa Samaya

Fashion Designers: High Tea with Mrs Woo

PHOTO CREDITS: PIPPA SAMAYA

Residency Dates:

March 25th-30th 2019

July 8th-13th 2019

September 23rd-27th

Performance: Propelled – A Major Event: September 27th 2019

CONCEPT –

A stain on my perfect intention.

A blot spreading on the hand I use to control it all.

A crinkle in my perfect circle.

A pin prick glitch that leads to my unravelling.

A breath of wind that opens into a storm, rushing towards my ultimate surrender.

A homage to the beauty of the imperfect.

Work by Satoru HOSHINO: Beginning Form – Spiral ‘17 2017 smoked earthenware 850°C, black stoneware Artist collection. SODEISHA: connected to Australia exhibition Newcastle Art Gallery 2019

BIOGRAPHIES

THE SAMAYA WIVES

The Samaya Wives (Pippa and Tara Jade Samaya) come together in life and in creation to explore the many colours and tones of what it means to be alive on this earth and reveal the innate one-ness that ultimately links us all. To bring a voice to the voiceless, to shed light in dark spaces, to empower and to inspire, The Samaya Wives strive towards equality, wisdom, compassion and authentic connection. One part dancer one part photographer an artistic medium is found between the two that brings a visual expression to the internal world of human emotion.

Recent appreciations include two time winner of the international 60 second dance film competition ( Finland and Denmark), winner of best film in the FAD film festival in North Carolina- USA, Winner of Best dance on film at the Australian Dance Awards (2017), winner of best music film clip in the 2016 NIMA awards.They have had multiple films screened in dance and short film festivals across USA, Canada, Cyprus, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Australia and Hong Kong. ‘Oten’ is their first commissioned dance film work for a gallery setting.

In 2019, Tara won Helpmann and Greenroom Award for Best Female Dancer in Australia for her work in Chunkymove’s Common Ground. She was also previously nominated for Greenroom and Helpmann Awards in 2010, 2012 & 2017. Over the last 12 years Tara has worked with Australian Dance Theatre, Chunkymove, Douglas Wright Company, GUTS dance, Prue Lang, Lina Limosani and Al Seed, she was appointed Chunky Move’s Artistic Associate for 2016 and now dances at The Staatsballett Berlin.
Tara studied Classical Ballet in Newcastle at Marie Walton-Mahon Dance Academy until she furthered her studies of contemporary dance at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

HIGH TEA WITH MRS WOO

High Tea with Mrs Woo is the creative collaboration of sisters, Rowena, Juliana and Angela Foong. They design and manufacture their clothing range in-house, with a flagship retail store in the city of Newcastle – established in 2004.
Fascinated with the memory of clothing, they explore the ability of fashion to unfold a great yarn. They describe each piece of garment they make from a moment in time – like Stuck in Ueno, Irreversible, We’re All Mad Here, Waiting for Jack to name a few.

Traditional tailoring methods are used in developing unique shapes from conventional dress forms to make High Tea with Mrs Woo. The sisters appreciate and practice the time-honoured qualities of dressmaking.

They practice Slow Fashion values – using materials and creating designs that are appreciated for their craftsmanship, wearability and materiality; maintaining a small and sustainable scale of production to make clothing that is worthy of care and enjoyment for a long and useful life.