Interdisciplinary Class

Inspired by morning classes which maintain professional dancers' readiness for work, Interdisciplinary Class is for collaborative musicians, dancers and actors to stay active and curious in performance and devising skills.

Drawn from the teacher's own acting, music and dance practices, exercises focus on self-expression, sensitivity, and intentional play. Each class introduces concepts from dance, theatre, and music, then expands these ideas as the basis of a group improvisation. An interest in interdisciplinary learning and an existing practice in at least one of these forms is helpful for this class.

Is this class for me?

• You are an experienced artist with a practice in music, dance, and/or acting — including professional, emerging and self-taught artists

• You enjoy thinking laterally and non-institutionally about art-making, and are curious about approaching traditional forms in new ways

• You enjoy learning and improvising consensually, inclusively and equally with others, without centring any one performer or practice

Then this class is intended for you.

If you prefer being more technically focused, learning directly from repertoire or scripts, or are primarily interested for curiosity about working with disabled artists, this class isn’t intended for you. You are welcome to check out other workshops offered by local theatre, dance and music artists, collectives and organisations.

Please note this class is taught by a teaching artist (not a qualified teacher) and techniques are drawn from the teacher’s own interdisciplinary practice. It is intended to complement the practices of anyone with some theatre, dance or music experience, but remains accessible for performers without a strong technical background. If unsure about your experience level, you are welcome to reach out to discuss goals and needs for participating equally in this class.

Class Plan

15:30–15:35 Grounding & check-in (mindfulness and number check-in) 15:35–15:50 Warm-up (breath, body, hands, face, voice, and instruments or space) 15:50–16:05 Technique 1 (music) 16:05–16:20 Technique 2 (dance) 16:20–16:35 Technique 3 (acting) 16:35–16:50 Sequence / Score / Scene (devised with students) 16:50–17:00 Cool-down (stretching, self-guided recovery and check-out question)

To offer a holistic and responsive environment, each class is capped at 12 students.

About the teacher

Patrick Gunasekera (he/him) is an interdisciplinary performer, creator, producer and emerging teaching artist based on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar. He grew up acting, dancing, and studying western classical music.