Selected Highlights
Ongoing - Dance Mania at Sydney Opera House.
August 2023 - Trainer at NAISDA Dance College (Australia’s premier indigenous training college).
April - October 2023. Mentor of Azzam Mohamed for development of upcoming performance of Katma through PYT.
March 2023 - March Dance Bursary winner for project named New York Conversations. In connection with the Merce Cunningham Trust and Melissa Toogood, Seet Dance students performed Field Dances (1963) by Merce Cunningham. Seet Dancers were the first non-Cunningham Company dancers to perform a complete Cunningham work in Australia.
July 2022 to present. Creator and Lead Artist for for Dance Mania, a series of 2-Day intensive workshops at the Sydney Opera House / Tubowgule.
April 2022 - Charemaine embarks on stage 3 of Sixth Daughter - researching Teochew opera movement in Singapore with local opera artists. This research is funded by Critical Path, Sydney.
Presently - Charemaine is the lead creative learning artist at the Sydney Opera House / Tubowgule, Centre for Creativity, devising workshops and creative labs for primary, secondary and tertiary level students. Workshops and labs will use movement to embody the architectural and engineering principles of Jørn Utzon’s design of the Sydney Opera House.
February 2021 - facilitated dance artists for 2 week choreographic lab, a joint project by PYT Fairfield and Critical Path, Sydney.
October 2020 - featured artist in Understory: Honest chats for extraordinary times. A collection of video and text essays by international dance artists comprising supportive words and hope for the future of dance. Project initiated by UK artists Theo Clinkard and Grace Nicol.
September 2020 - featured artist in The Impossible Project 2020. An online exhibition created by Anna Tregloan to capture the enormous range of work by Australian artists that were supposed to happen in 2020 – and didn’t due to COVID-19.
July - September 2020 - Dancing-In-Place:Movement Penpals. Online digital educational project in collaboration with Singaporean dance artists, Faye Lim and Bernice Lee. This project was funded by the NAC Singapore and Dance Nucleus Singapore and the City of Sydney.
March 2020 - Iconic Moments in Contemporary Dance Recreated in LEGO. Projected Installation at the Conference for Research on Choreographic Interfaces (CRCI), Brown University, USA
March 2020 - Premiering the Work of choreographer Doug Elkins in Sydney. Lecture/Demonstration for March Dance, Sydney (rescheduled)
March 2020 - Martha Graham, the Mother of Contemporary Dance. Created image for Women's Work published by Critical Path, Sydney
March 2020 - Bright Flames in Dark Waters. Seet Dance performance at Creative Practices Lab, University of New South Wales
2019 to 2020 - Facilitator for Digital Interchange Festival Discussion: Responding to Miguel Gutierrez’s Article, Does Abstraction Belong to White People? at Critical Path, Sydney
2019 - 2020 - Merce Cunningham Lego Project. Reconstructions of iconic moments in the choreographic career of Merce Cunningham in LEGO.
2019 to 2021 - Sixth Daughter. Responsive Research Residency Travel Grant to Singapore to work with Teochew Opera practitioners. Grant through Critical Path, Sydney
July 2019 - Collaboration with choreographer Doug Elkins. Work in progress. New York City
June 2019 - Curated auction of Trio A with Rabbits works to benefit refugee families, Sydney. $4000 raised.
April 2019 - Facilitator for Women’s Work Workshop at Critical Path, Sydney
March 2019 - Creator and mentor of workshop series: Introducing Postmodern Dance to Street Dance Practitioners for March Dance, NSW
December 2018 - Trio A with Rabbits, Homage to Yvonne Rainer fused with the story of the Berlin Wall rabbits. Dance/Art Happening at Eternity Playhouse, Sydney
November 2018 - Sixth Daughter—Deconstructing the Movement of Teochew Opera Critical Path Residency at Catapult Dance in Newcastle, NSW.
November 2018 - Choreographic showcase of three dances for young people at Form Dance Project’s Sharp Short Dance, Parramatta
November 2018 - Presented a performance of Mountain Energie for On the Cusp performance platform at Critical Path, Sydney
July 2018 - Research and choreographic development with choreographer Doug Elkins in NYC.
January 2018 - Led company class for Company Wayne McGregor's Tree of Codes in Sydney
February/March 2018 - Led company class for the Sydney Dance Company.
Performance Career
March 2017 Performed improvised duet with Anna Kuroda for Whip It at 107 Arts in Redfern Sydney
July/October 2016 Featured soloist in dance film project 100 Indecisions with Doug Elkins at Montclair University, NJ.
August 2015 Performed in The Draw In for Geraldine Balcazar at Bangarra Dance Studio Theatre.
July 2015 Assisted Doug Elkins in reconstructing repertoire for a new creation for the Paul Taylor Company NYC.
The new work premiered in March 2016 at Lincoln Center.
July 2014 Research and development with Doug Elkins for choreography for proposed opera project
April 2013 Assistant to the choreographer, Doug Elkins, for new work with the Boston Conservatory
July 2012 Assistant to the choreographer, Doug Elkins, for new work with GroundWorks Dance Theatre Ohio
July 2012 Assistant to Doug Elkins in research & development with Shantala Shivalingappa in NYC
2011 Collaborated with Doug Elkins on solo works
2010 Assisted Doug Elkins Dance Company in auditions for the 2010 season of Fraulein Maria, NYC
2010 Guest artist in Short Sweet & Dance Festival, Sydney
2006/2007 Original cast member in the critically acclaimed Fraulein Maria performed at Joe’s Pub in NYC
2000 – 2008 Creative collaborator, dancer and rehearsal director for the Doug Elkins Dance Co, NYC
1993 – 2000 Principal dancer and company choreographer with Union Dance, London
Among others, she has worked with: Graham Vick, Ian Spink, Ron Howell, Bunty Mathias, Jacob Marley, Anna Williams, Mark Lorimer, Marianna Kavalieratos, Michael Joseph, Maria Ribot, Gilles Jobin, Eduardo Rivera, Isabel Bustos, Ellen van Schuylenburch, Anna Kuroda and Laurie Booth
1997 Danced with Gilles Jobin, production A+B=X (original cast)
1997 Danced with Maria Ribot and Gilles Jobin, production Dip Me In The Water , London.
1995 Founding member of Bunty Mathias Dance Company
1992 Member of Moana Nepia and Dancers
Charemaine has also danced with:
The Royal Opera (Covent Garden)
Glyndebourne Festival Opera, “The Queen of Spades”, (director Graham Vick, choreographer Ron Howell)
The English National Opera, “Inquest of Love”, “Macbeth”, (choreographer Ian Spink)
Teaching
Charemaine was a key member of Union Dance’s renowned education team, instrumental in developing their innovative teaching style.
Union Dance is a professional dance company and educational charity nationally and internationally acclaimed as the UK’s most accessible and culturally diverse dance company. Union Dance showcases an eclectic mix of Contemporary Dance, Hip Hop and Martial Arts in performance repertory, which is the basis for its educational provision. Their education programme for youth has been considered one of the best in the UK.
2018 - Taught company class to Company Wayne Macgregor (UK) - Tree of Codes tour and Sydney Dance Company.
Choreography
2010 Movement coach for Emma Booth, Channel 9 Australia, tv series “Underbelly – The Golden Mile”
1997 Dance Tek Warriors – 3 Young Blades for Union Dance
(Dance Tek Warrior became part of the UK’s GCSE syllabus, taught in schools throughout the country).
1998 The Thrill Is Gone for Union Dance
1997 Choreographic commission for Nubian Steps, South Bank Centre, London
1996 Dance Film Maintenant Vous savez, director Chris Gibbons
1992 Dance Film“Breakdown”, director Chris Gibbons
1991 Hunting & Gathering, Rotate Dance commission for the Duke String Quartet.
1990 Problems in Materialism and Culture, Rotate Dance: dancers Anna Williams, Mark Lorimer, Marianna Kavalieratou, Shamila Mukerji, Kay Richards.
1990 Dance film Kalikathakali, director Mark Keanne
1990 Director and choreographer for Rotate Dance
Education and Training
July 2019 MELT Choreographic workshop with Tere O’Connor at Movement Research, New York City
July 2018 Workshops in Cunningham Technique at City Center NYC with Jamie Scott et al
2017 Studied with Iréne Hultman and Lance Gries of Trisha Brown Company in NYC analyzing the movement and choreography of Trisha Brown.
2016 Workshops with Irene Dowd and Susan Klein in NYC.
2015 Studied with Lance Gries and Tara Lorenzen in NYC, analyzing the movement and choreography of Trisha Brown.
2013 / 2014 Studied with Eric Franklin and Morten Dithmer. Charemaine is certified as a Franklin Method® Movement Educator. She is a member of the first graduating group in Australia.
2013 / 2014 Summer Intensive courses in NYC led by Iréne Hultman, analyzing the movement and choreography of Trisha Brown.
2011 – 2012 Choreography and technique workshops with Doug Elkins in NYC
2000 – 2001 Scholarship student at Merce Cunningham Studio, New York City
1987 – 1990 Degree course at the London Contemporary Dance School (The Place), London
1986 – 1987 Modern dance with Paul Saliba, Sydney Dance Company studios
1985 – 1987 Classical ballet with Joan and Monica Halliday, Garth Welch and Marilyn Jones, Sydney
1983 – 1985 Classical ballet with Valerie Bayley and Elsie Seguss, Australia
1979 – 1983 Classical ballet training with Ms.Tan Eng Ai, Singapore.
Certificates:
Advanced Executant (Advanced II), Royal Academy of Dance
BA (Hons) Degree in Dance, University of Kent, UK graduated with 1st class honours.
Certified Franklin Method® Movement Educator.
Press and Reviews
https://www.dancemagazine.com/australia-fires-2644929072.html
https://www.dancemagazine.com/8-iconic-dance-history-moments-as-told-through-legos-2412820878.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/arts/dance/your-first-dance-crush.html
Union – South Bank Show 1995 review The Independent, London
“… the highlight of the opening night was Charemaine Seet’s solo, involving kung fu poses, lightning fast flying scissors and apparently impossible changes of direction.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/dance–the-quentin-tarantino-of-dance-1572398.html
Most recently, Charemaine has been a creative collaborator with Doug Elkins and a member of The Doug Elkins Dance Company in New York City. She was an original cast member in the critically acclaimed “Fraulein Maria”, performed in December 2007 in New York City.
“It’s heavenly to watch, and probably even more delicious to perform.” The New York Times
“Fraulein Maria” was featured at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2009.
From New York Times article
“Mr. Elkins, who took dance classes at Purchase College but spent extramural time mastering the arts of club and break dancing, first burst onto the dance scene in 1988, when he auditioned for Dance Theater Workshop’s Fresh Tracks series with his just-created “Patrooka Variations.” It was a whirlwind, witty invocation of flamenco, break dance, martial arts, ballet and more, set to snippets of Bizet’s “Carmen” and James Brown."
“It just blew the panel off their rickety seats,” said David White, then the executive director of Dance Theater Workshop. “It was funny and smart, postmodern and topical. He had this incredible way of combining ideas that Roland Barthes would have been proud of, but with all the classical structure needed to fabricate a choreographic web.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/arts/dance/09sulc.html?_r=2&oref=slogin
In London, Charemaine was principal dancer and company choreographer with Union Dance. Union Dance is a professional dance company and educational charity nationally and internationally acclaimed as the UK’s most accessible and culturally diverse dance company. Founded in 1986, Union Dance showcases an eclectic mix of Contemporary Dance, Hip Hop and Martial Arts in performance repertory, which is the basis for its educational provision. As the only UK dance company along with the English National Ballet to receive education funding from the City of Westminster, Union Dance straddles uniquely over its dual vocation of excellence in dance performance, and educational work at the service of disenfranchised youth.
In September 2009, Union Dance’s production "Dance Tek Warriors" became part of the United Kingdom’s GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) syllabus and will be taught in schools all over the UK.
from Union Dance promotional material
“Union Dance is the UK’s most accessible and exciting dance company. In just one performance its stunning dancers expertly mix hip hop with the Brazilian martial art capoeira, the grace of ballet and tai chi, through to the sharply intelligent moves of contemporary dance. Union Dance integrates its choreographic content and athletic performance style with visuals, sound and music ranging from Hip Hop - Missy Elliot, Talvin Singh and Sitar Funk to the rich traditions of the Indian and African continents.”
“[Union Dance] builds a bridge across the dance of the studio and the dance of the streets” – The Guardian
BAM—Union Dance review
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06EFDD1F31F93AA25751C0A9669C8B63
Union – South Bank Show 1995 review The Independent, London
“… the highlight of the opening night was Charemaine Seet’s solo, involving kung fu poses, lightning fast flying scissors and apparently impossible changes of direction.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/dance–the-quentin-tarantino-of-dance-1572398.html
