The FAMILY Dance Project began as a collaboration between Hospice Volunteers South Tasmania and Artistic Director Glen Murray of Mature Artist Dance Experience (MADE). They wanted to start a conversation about Death as part of life through staging a dance performance by Hospice Volunteers and MADE Dancers.
Community Engagement: Sara was brought on to strengthen the relationship between Hospice Volunteers and MADE, to provide and encourage the Hospice community through the art/dance making process, and to collect the experiences and stories of participants in order to feed Glen Murray's artistic process.
Sara also worked alongside Troy Melville to produce a film about the Community Engagement.
Sound Artist: Sara was also commissioned as a sound artist to realise a narrative soundscape in Glen's set design, comprised of real stories heard at the bedside of people nearing the end of their lives.
Sara researched and developed sensitive interview questions around life and living, death and dying; worked with Palliative Care professionals to find suitable candidates for interview; made relationships with and interviewed candidates who wanted to be a part of the performance; transcribed and cut interviews to provide the narrative.
Project Manager: Sara managed the touring of the Dying to Tell Soundscape to both a national and an international conference on community Arts and Health.
The Dance Project, FAMILY, was funded by the Australia Council of the Arts and produced through Tasmanian Regional Arts by Angie Abdilla.