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Touch Compass’s Artistic Direction Panel highlights the presence of disabled artists on our stages and increasing disabled representation across the industry. Alongside examples of Touch Compass’s existing works, this conversation illustrates how to shift the narrative to celebrate and honor diverse disabled voices in live art.
To see all other sessions of the EPIC Conferences, explore HERE
Lusi, of Samoan and European descent, is an award-winning dancer and founding member of Touch Compass who has been performing for over 30 years. She performed and toured New Zealand and Australia in the company’s major shows from 1997 to 2008 and starred in the highly acclaimed autobiographical performance Lusi’s Eden in 2001; in 2014, her DanceBox short film ‘Mr and Mrs Jones’ paid tribute to two key people in her life, her foster parents. Lusi has been a support dancer in Touch Compass’s community classes and represented Touch Compass at the Pacific CNZ Strategic conference at Te Papa, Wellington in 2018. In 2021 Lusi performed Taupou, a new work Samoan traditional dance performance collaboration with Everybody Cool Lives Here and LeMona at Cuba Dupa Festival, Wellington; she presented Taupou on stage at Kia Mau Festival, Wellington in early 2021. Lusi hopes to make a new work called Aiga partnership with Everybody Cool Lives Here in 2022. Lusi was awarded the High Commended award for her contribution to the dance community at the 2019 Arts Access Aotearoa Awards; Spirit of Attitude award at 2020 Attitude Awards; the Toa Artistic Achievement award at Pacific Arts CNZ 2020 Awards; and the Artistic Achievement award at the Arts Access Aotearoa 2021 awards.
Suzanne is an artist/choreographer/researcher and has been an associate artist with Touch Compass since 1999. Her most recent work was performed at Auckland Arts Festival this year with collaborator, Rodney Bell, in ‘He Owha Matarua’: a site specific performance at Piha that explores ecology and colonisation. She recently completed an independent film, ’Slippage’, to be screened later in 2021, building on her solo autobiographical show ‘Manifesto of A Good Cripple’ which she produced and performed at the Basement Theatre in 2019.
Rodney has been dancing professionally since 1995, having started out as a Touch Compass founding member. Proud to be a pioneer for inclusive dance, Rodney has performed both nationally and internationally – winning an Isadora Dance Award while dancing in the US with Axis Dance Company. Rodney was also the winner of the Attitude Artistic Achievement Award, in 2016, and the Arts Access Aotearoa Artistic Achievement Award in 2017, 2018 The Grant Tilly Actor of the Year and the Creative New Zealand, Ngā Taonga Toi a Te Waka Toi – Te Tohu Iho Pūmanawa award 2020. Increasingly, Rodney actively works not only as an artist but also as an advocator and provocateur, calling for stronger integration and providing voice for people with diverse requirements to have more choice and control over their lives especially Hau Tipua (Persons with a Disability and their Whaanau – Family). Rodney feels very strongly about making Performance spaces accessible as possible not only physical access but also supporting access for the hearing and sight impaired. Rodney finds himself working across varied media, including film, documentaries, and in motivational presentations. With his strong focus on Universal Access, Rodney is also extensively involved in organisations that advocate and pursue wide access for people with and without a Disability. Honoured to be dancing with Touch Compass, Rodney hopes to continue to change the way we all view dance and emulate what Touch Compass has done for him by supporting young artists with a Disability. His motto is: “He waka eke noa” (a canoe we are all in with no exceptions).
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