Dusty Feet Dance Collective was founded in 2009 to support dance artists in Central Australia with a program of ongoing training, choreographic development, community classes, youth company and interstate performances. Original works have included Music that Moves (2024), Come to the Edge (2022), The Tidy Rules of a Comfortable Suburbia (2014), Dance Jam (open platform and site-specific seasons 2009-13), In the Red (Short Sweet Dance 2012), My Desert is Delicious (2011) and Bloodwood (Ausdance iMoves 2010). Artists of the collective come from diverse backgrounds, with a shared passion for creating dance at the heart of the country.
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Miriam Nicholls trained at the Victorian College of the Arts and has worked as a dancer with companies and choreographers across Australia and overseas. Since arriving in Alice Springs in 2006, Miriam co-founded Dusty Feet Dance Collective and SPRUNG Youth Dance, and choreographed and performed in numerous productions both locally and interstate. Miriam has worked as a dance, drama and music teacher in town schools and remote communities, worked as Artist-in-Residence with Duprada Dance Company, mentor edwith Incite Arts’ stArts with D, and led many student productions and community classes. Now a mum of three young kids, Miriam is passionate about developing dance that creates joy, sustainability, connection and inspiration.
Kady Mansour is an emerging freelance dancer, facilitator, and choreographer based in Naarm who will spend time this year in Mparntwe/Alice Springs working with GUTS and Dusty Feet Dance. Her practice encourages connection with broad and diverse audiences through inclusive, participatory experiences. Kady is passionate about using movement as a tool to promote mental and physical well-being, and continually seeks to deepen her understanding of how it can foster healing and connection within communities. Kady’s community-driven focus naturally informs her choreographic work, interrogating shared experiences of everyday life, and incorporating elements of physical theatre to elevate her narratives. Her choreographic endeavours have been presented as part of Dancehouse’s Emerging Choreographers Season Inertia (Kady and Michaela Were Here 2021, 2021), Temperance Halls Fringe Season (Two Women Enter the Toilet Cubicle, 2022), and Stephanie Lake’s Escalator (Menstruation the Musical, Hot Glue Buns, 2023).
Kaye Pedersen’s experience in musical theatre, contemporary and commercial dance has spanned 20 years as an industry professional. A graduate of Deakin University (Dance / Teaching) and Danceworld 301 (Performing Arts / Dance) she also studied a Master of Creative Enterprise (Community Arts). Kaye was the founder of Lyrebird Dance Theatre and Beach City Dance Studios, running a dance school and entertainment company based in Victoria and providing shows and classes from 2004 – 2014 before relocating to Alice Springs. Now NT based, Kaye currently is a cofounder and artistic director of Desert Diamonds NT. She has worked in town and remote community schools, with Dusty Feet Dance Collective and Incite Arts as both a dancer and choreographer, and performed in the Australian Burlesque Festival on tour in 2019 and 2020.
Gabrielle Diplock is a long-term Alice Springs dance artist who has performed with Dusty Feet Dance Collective since 2009, and the Desert Diamonds since 2019. With a background in ballet (RAD), contemporary dance, theatrical jazz and cabaret, her numerous credits include FAB Alice, Australian Burlesque Festival, Wide Open Space Festival and Dance Jam to the Streets. Gabby is a stand-out performer in any event with her love of dance and dedication to the work
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