OUR TEAM
FRANCESCA GOZDEK
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER
Francesca is an Italian contemporary dance artist, choreographer, and the artistic director of the company Interchange Dance Project.
Her artistic background has structured over time between Europe and Australia, through the study and research of different practices and techniques. After 6 years in Sydney, working as a dance artist for the company Twisted Element, she gained experience in immersive, interactive contemporary dance theatre, performing three full length productions ‘Ritual’, ‘Opus’ and ‘Awakening’ across numerous theatres in Sydney and in NSW. She had the opportunity to develop her practice further and to apply her methods and studies working with the undergraduates of Bachelor of dance degree at Academy of Music and Performing Arts (AMPA) in Sydney. Her teaching career continued to secure her permanent and ongoing positions in prestigious performing arts institutions across Sydney and in Italy.
In 2019 her needs to expand her methodologies and research brought her to found Interchange Dance Project and Interchange Dance Project Youth. The company acts as a bridge between study and professional career, exposing dancers to different methodologies, training, collaborations with industry professionals, interdisciplinary artists, offering performance opportunities, on screen, on stage and as a site-specific performance. In 2021, Sponsored by Dance Cinema Organisation and Academy of Music and Performing Arts, she choreographed ‘Train Escape’, performed at NIDA Theatres, and readapted as a dance film. The dance film will premiere at March Dance Festival, in Sydney.
Her passion on creating movement for the screen started in 2020, where she choreographed ‘Somnia’ and ‘Edge’, two dance films created for Interchange Dance Project Youth and Interchange Dance Project. She creates in collaboration with the dance members through improvisation, imaginary, sharing of ideas and the fusion of different methodologies and practices. In 2019 she travelled to Bali to complete her study in ‘Contact Beyond Contact’, a dance and healing practice that integrates Authentic Movement, Contact Improvisation, Passing Through, with profound practices of qigong, yoga, healing modalities, energy work and philosophies from Buddhism and Taoism.
Her style is characterized by elements of breath work, qigong, and yoga, with elements of dynamic floorwork, release technique and travelling phrases that focus on the importance of weight transfer, space, body awareness and mindfulness. Francesca is looking forward to teaching and choreographing to future dance artists across the world. She is excited to bring Interchange Dance Project with her and to offer opportunity to young dancers to be a part of it.
NAOMI HIBBERD
ADMINISTRATOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER
Naomi is a highly experienced dancer, teacher and choreographer who’s insight in the industry has aided her career in arts administration. She has performed with many dance companies around the world including Rambert Dance Company; Opera Australia; The National Dance Theatre of Australia; Theatre of Image; Balbir Singh Dance Co; Dance Academy The Movie and has also been winner of the Charlotte Kirkpatrick and Dance Archers Awards.
Naomi is currently the administrator and marketing coordinator at FORM Dance Projects and has assisted in administration for Australian dance collectives Twisted Element and Hanging Around Co.
GEORGETTE SOFAZTIS
GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER 2020
Georgette, born in 1991, is an Honours Graduate from the Alvin Ailey American Dance School based in New York City, Majoring in The Horton Dance Technique and Dance Performance. In NYC Georgette worked with and performed for many well-renowned American choreographers; Matthew Rushing, Sidra Bell, Sonia Dawkins, Carlos De Santos, Iquail Johnson, Amy Hall, Fredrick Moore, Ray Mercer, Jeremy McQueen, Michael Leon Thomas and The Buglisi Dance Theatre. Georgette was selected to perform Mr Ailey’s noted work ‘Memoria’ with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre at the New York City Theatre and toured with The Alvin Ailey Junior Company, NYC. Miss Sofatzis continued her journey to the UK and danced with Scottish Dance Theatre, Russell Maliphant Company, London and Exzeb Dance Company, London.
Georgette is currently a Sydney Dance Company Studios Teacher, Full-time Dance Studio Coach, an Australian freelance Choreographer, Movement Therapist in Musculoskeletal/Skeletal Rehabilitation and Dancer’s Pilates Therapy. She delivers workshops and masterclasses at minor and major dance academies all over NSW. Georgette returned to Australia with the determination and desire to share her International experiences with the Australian Dance Community. Her greatest passion is teaching and educating dance and movement. Coaching dancers of all ages and watching each dancer grow to understand their dance movement mentally and physically, is Georgette's greatest fulfillment. Georgette2Dance began to develop in 2018, and specialises in Contemporary Dance, The Horton Dance Technique (from NYC) and Pilates Programs for Dancers and Musculoskeletal Pathologies.
CHIMENE STEELE-PRIOR
GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER 2021
Chimene is a Melbourne based performer, teacher and choreographer. She has worked with artists including Nat Cursio Co/Reckless sleepers (UK), Sheridan Lang, Shaun McLeod, Shian Law, Melissa Jones, Rob McCredie, Geoffrey Watson and has performed extensively with Opera Australia since 2011. In 2017 Chimene worked with Lauren Langlois during the first development of Twenty Forty Six (Tanja Liedtke Fellowship) in Berlin, with Omer Backley-Astrachan on Wildebeest/The Venus Fly Trap (Riverside Theatres Parramatta) in 2018 and with Lewis major Projects on S/Words in 2019. Chimene’s choreographic work spans film, installation and live performance It has been presented at the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Fringe Festival Hub and the Winter in Banyule Festival. She has been supported by Melbourne City Council and Banyule City Council and been awarded choreographic residencies through Dancehouse, Dirty Feet, Liquid Skin Studio and Window 99. She was the recipient of an Ian Potter Cultural Trust grant for the development of her choreographic practice through the ATLAS program located within Impuls Tanz Dance Festival. Her solo work IN FORMATION II was nominated for a Green Room Award for Concept and Realisation in 2015. In 2013 she was the Inaugural Choreographic Secondment Recipient at Chunky Move under the Direction of Anouk Van Dijk. In 2016, Chimene became a certified Countertechnique teacher, one of only 32 worldwide. She has taught Countertechnique at Chunky Move, Lucy Guerin Inc., Strut Dance WA, Independent Dance Classes Sydney, Sydney dance Company Pre-Professional Year, Victorian College of the Arts, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, LINK Dance Company and Henny Juriens Stichting (NL).
DAMIANO ARTALE
GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER 2020 (ITALY)
Damiano Artale was born in Siracusa in 1987. When he was 16, he entered in the school of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and he graduated in 2007.
During the season 2007/2008 he performed works by W. Forsythe, M. Bejart, J. Godani, L. Childs with Ballet de l’Opéra National du Rhin in Mulhouse (France). In 2008 he won the prize Danza&Danza as Best Italian Talent. From 2008 to 2013 he danced choreographies by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui , A. Foniadakis, E. Gat, F. Ventriglia, S. Teshigawara, B. Millepied, J.C. Maillot with Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve (Switzerland).
In September 2013 he joined Aterballetto. He created for the company in 2015 “Migliori” and in 2016 “Emme”. His choreography “Survivante” is within the dance and photography project In/Finito (2018).
He created the duet “Abiectio”, which was selected for the 33rd International Choreographic Competition Hannover and in 2019 he created the choreography of the dance movie “ il trionfo della grazia” directed by Valeria Civardi.
He created for WhiteCarraraDowntown Festival “Motus Marmoris” in 2020.
Since 2013 he holds workshops in several festivals and professional dance courses:
Mediterraneo Dance Festivals ( Reggio Calabria), Eventi Danza Verona (Verona), The River (Vicenza), Non Solo Danza (Sicilia), M.A.B. (Milano), Teatro Carcano (Milano), Milano Contemporary Ballet, Agora Coaching Project (Reggio Emilia), Dance Fabrica (Prato), ONDANCE directed by Roberto Bolle (Milano)