Happy Mondays – Lizzie Vilmanis
- 18 May 2015
You have probably seen the White Porcelain Doll image currently featuring on the AQ Facebook page. Do you know who the dancer is? In this week’s Happy Mondays, we feature Lizzie Vilmanis from Prying Eye Productions
What are you creatively working on at the moment?
A new dance theatre work, The Inquisition of the Big Bad Wolf. It looks at the ludicrous lengths that people go to keep their ‘inner wolf’ quiet.
Where would we find you on a Monday?
I’m a bit like ‘Where’s Wally’ … every Monday is different. I could be anywhere doing any (or many) of the array of roles that I undertake as an independent dance artist.
Favourite arts place or space
I must admit that the Judith Wright Centre is like my second home and I love always running into other artists there. I don’t think I have one favourite arts place or space though. I like to move around and be inspired by different places, spaces, people and art.
Three arts and cultural experiences in Queensland you would never miss and why
The Gallery of Modern Art’s exhibitions such as David Lynch’s “Between Two Worlds” and Cai Guo-Qiang’s “Falling Back to Earth”. Nothing like a bit of inspiration!
Brisbane Festival – usually it provides opportunities for me to engage with local, national and international artists in a number of ways and is a great saturation of art right at my doorstep.
Having been a Fresh Ground Artist in Residence with Prying Eye at the Judith Wright Centre, I of course will always support this network, but, generally speaking too, I try to see and experience as much art and culture that happens at this sort of grass roots level. This is most often where the greatest risk taking happens and the trends are started. Artists at this level are the artists for the future.
Three words you would use to describe arts and culture in Brisbane.
Just three? As I contemplate this question tonight the three words that come to mind are … ‘burgeoning’, ‘important’, and ‘illuminating’.
Which Queenslander inspires you the most?
Geoffrey Rush. He was born in Toowoomba, went to Everton Park State High School, studied at University of Queensland and began his career with Queensland Theatre Company. He revealed that he experienced a temporary nervous breakdown in 1992 as a result of working too hard and feeling that his career advancement was inadequate. Four years later, he played David Helfgott in “Shine”, for which he won loads of awards! Knowing that even his journey wasn’t all smooth sailing is a reminder that I don’t have be invincible and to have patience.
An acclaimed performer, Lizzie’s fifteen year performance career (including eight with Expressions Dance Company and four with Leigh Warren and Dancers) has seen her perform major roles, both at home and abroad, in works by some of the world’s best choreographers. She has most recently been nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer for the 2015 Australian Dance Awards, an award which she was also nominated for in 2009. She has choreographed works for Expressions Dance Company, Royal Academy of Dancing, the South Australian Children’s Ballet Company, Outcast Performing Arts, and Brisbane Festival’s Mixed Tape and has appeared in film clips for Katie Noonan and Michelle Xen. With Zaimon Vilmanis, she co-directs Prying Eye Productions which last year premiered the spellbinding dance theatre work “White Porcelain Doll” at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts. The work has been nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance for the 2015 Australian Dance Awards. In March, Prying Eye were invited to showcase excerpts from their current work “WOLF” at Dance Massive Open Studios in Melbourne. Some of Lizzie’s other collaborations include “Resurfaced” – Brisbane Festival (2012) with Feet Teeth, and “Lady Electronica Live” – Judith Wright Centre (2012) with Donna Hewitt. This January she was invited to teach and choreograph for the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. She also continues her Master of Arts (Research) at QUT, investigating issues surrounding sustainability for Brisbane independent contemporary dance artists.
Images courtesy Prying Eye Productions. Head Shot. Photograph: Keith Hawley. Performance image – Lizzie Vilmanis in White Porcelain Doll by Prying Eye, photograph by FenLan Photography