Wendy Martin

Delving into Dance more often than not focuses on the experiences of dancers, choreographers and dance makers. But it is time to shake it up. The arts ecology is intricate and integrated and there are so many people involved in bringing arts and culture to audiences and communities. This episode is with Perth Festival Artistic Director, Wendy Martin. Wendy’s career has included everything from television production and producing to dance programing. Wendy was Head of Performance & Dance at Southbank Centre, London, where she helped establish the disability arts festival Unlimited, as part of London Olympics, Cultural Olympiad. Before moving to London, Wendy worked at the Sydney Opera House in a range of roles including as the Head of Theatre and Dance. Wendy has been responsible for a range of incredible commissions including the Oracle with Meryl Tankard. She was the catalyst for a range of programs including the Spring Dance, a festival of dance at the Opera House. The first festival was curated by Rafael Bonachela and saw a wide range of incredible works. Sadly Spring Dance had such a short life, and there remain few large prominent platforms for Contemporary Dance in Sydney. This is a wide-ranging interview that reveals Wendy’s deep passion for dance and making dance accessible to audiences. Wendy discusses the importance of dance and many of the highlights of the 2018 Perth Festival. “The biggest role of being a curator is to be a storyteller, because ultimately you want to invite people in and share something that you think is wonderful with an audience.” Wendy mentioned a range of wonderful people, who have been interviewed for Delving into Dance, including Meryl Tankard, Damien Jalet, Rafael Bonachela and Lucy Guerin. Perth Festival is on from the 9 Feb- 4 Mar and features a wide range of dance.