Sydney Experimental Arts Ensemble
ElizaÂ
Cooper
Artistic Director
Directed: Lee Mathews & Martyn Thompson
Movement direction:Â Eliza Cooper
Filmed and edited: Feras Shaheen
Composer: Mason Peronchik
Dancers: Allie Graham, Mitchell Christie, Maxine Carlisle & Emma Grill
2022
In 2022, Eliza performed in Opera Australia's production of Graeme Murphy's Turandot at the Sydney Opera House and was appointed Dance Captain.
Eliza performed with Dance Makers Collective in their regional tour of Miranda Wheen’s dance work The Rivoli. She performed flamenco choreographies Fangos de Huelva, Guajiras, Bambera, Tangos and Bulerias fin de fiesta by Pepa Molina in Las Flamenkas with Live Music at the Hellenic Arts Theatre. She also performed Sevillanas (traditional), Paseillo and Rumba at the Himalaya Emporium Grand Ballroom.
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Eliza toured with Sydney Dance Company as a Teaching Artist on their regional tour of Rafael Bonachela's Impermanence, teaching contemporary technique, improvisation, choreographic processes and company repertoire.
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Eliza will perform in Mitchell Christie's physical comedy Uh Oh at the Old Fitz Theatre programmed by Red Line Productions.
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Her second full-length work Bat Lake will premier in October at Riverside Theatres as a part of FORM Dance Projects' Dance Bites series.
Directed, choreographed & edited: Eliza Cooper
Filmed: Feras Shaheen
Composer: Mason Peronchik
Dancers: Allie Graham, Mitchell Christie, Maxine Carlisle & Strickland Young
Supported Dirtyfeet through the 'Out of the Studio' program
2021
In 2021, Eliza performed with Dance Makers Collective in their regional tour of Miranda Wheen’s physical theatre work Dads. She performed flamenco choreographies Sevillanas Corraleras, Tangos de la Repompa, Bulerias by Pepa Molina in Out of Iso at 107 Projects, Redfern.
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Her work Bat Lake was developed through residencies supported by Create NSW, Ausdance NSW, March Dance, Martyn Thompson and The Nest Creative Space.
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Her short work An Army of Frogs was commissioned by Configuration Company for their Movement Display season.
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Eliza was the Associate Costume Designer for James Bachelor's work Occasions for Sydney Dance Company's Pre-Professional Year graduation season at Carriageworks.
Directed, filmed and edited: Eliza Cooper
Featuring: Emma Grill & Jasmin Lancaster
Composer: Antonio Gambale
2020
Eliza performed in Kristina Chan’s work Shimmering Towards Silence in Catapult Dance Company’s Mixed Bill production at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre and the ARA Darling Quarter Theatre.
Eliza received DirtyFeet’s Out of the Studio funded residency program to develop her second full-length work Bat Lake. She also received funding and residencies from Ausdance NSW and March Dance.
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Eliza was Movement Director for the Lee Mathews Resort 2021 Campaign film directed by Lee Mathews and Martyn Thompson. The project was celebrated in Vogue and RUSSH magazines.
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Eliza directed and edited three dance film series Troyke, Unorthodox and The Hebrew Dreams of Andalusia for the Dunera Project's Synchronicity program.
Directed, filmed and edited: Eliza Cooper
Directed: Pepa Molina & Ilan Kidron
Featuring: Amari Leiva-Urzua, Elena Salerno & Antonieta Foldavary
Music: Hamsa
2019
Eliza performed in Justene Williams’ exhibition The Curtain Breathed Deeply in the immersive evening Date Night at Penrith Regional Gallery and the Lewers’ Bequest. The work was performed in the for Imagine Awards (Museums & Galleries NSW) at the National Arts School. She also performed in the immersive dining experience Hyper Real Experience curated by Missy Gilbert / I_AM_OFFERINGS at Chin Chin Sydney.
She performed in Opera Australia’s season of Graeme Murphy’s Turandot, revived by Kim Walker at the Sydney Opera House. She also performed and acted as Dance Captain for the Melbourne season of Turandot at the Melbourne Arts Centre.
Eliza received two Ausdance NSW DAIR residencies at the Australian Centre for Physical Education to develop her full-length work Old Life/ Dead Life with Sydney Experimental Arts Ensemble. The ensemble received a further March Dance residency at Erskineville Town Hall and received mentorship from Kay Armstrong.
Old Life/ Dead Life premiered at the Old 505 Theatre in Newtown in the Freshworks program with a highly successful 6-show season. The work features an original composition by the ensemble's resident composer Mason Peronchik and original costumes by Emalyn Knight. Old Life/ Dead Life was revived at the Io Myers Theatre at the University of New South Wales in collaboration with the Department of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, the Australian Centre for Astrobiology and Creative Practice Lab. The ensemble also performed an immersive improvised work for UNSW’s ArtsWeek Launch Party presented by Arc.
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Eliza presented an informal lecture on contemporary dance practice at the University of Technology Sydney in the series UTS Down to Earth curated by Le Salon and facilitated by architect Jose Maria Torres Nadal.
She received a FloorPlan Residency at Campbelltown Arts Centre to develop her next work Bat Lake with the ensemble.
Directed: Lee Mathews & Martyn Thompson
Movement direction:Â Eliza Cooper
Filmed and edited: Feras Shaheen
Composer: Mason Peronchik
Dancers: Allie Graham, Mitchell Christie, Maxine Carlisle & Emma Grill
2018
Eliza choreographed Stonemilker for the Nitzotzot Festival in the Zichri Theatre, Kibbutz Ga’aton.
Her solo work Solitudinem was performed at PACT Theatre in Pact Salon 2: Apactalyptic, an immersive event curated by performer and director Cloe Fournier.
Later in the year, she collaborated with youth orchestra, Ensemble Apex directed by conductor Sam Weller performing her solo work Salome: Dance of the Seven Veils in The Miraculous Mandarin at Town Hall Sydney.
Sydney Experimental Arts Ensemble formed and created DETKA which premiered in The Contemporary Choreographer Competition at NIDA Theatres hosted by Loredo Malcolm and Vi Lam. The work received 3rd prize and a scholarship for further development.
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She choreographed LAZER BEAMS for FORM Dance Projects’ Sharp Short Dance youth festival at Riverside Theatres and received the Outstanding Ensemble Performance Award and a residency at Catapult Choreographic Hub for further development.
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She presented her durational solo work Dragons in the immersive evening S.A.M.P.L.E, curated by Alana Yee at Intersect Space.
2017
She continued her study of dance with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in the MASA Dance Program in Israel.
2016
She undertook full time training with Sydney Dance Company receiving a Certificate IV in Dance Performance in the Pre-Professional Year Program under the guidance of Linda Gamblin, Shane Carroll and Jolie Brook.
She performed in Nick Cave’s HEARD Sydney at Town Hall Sydney, Carriageworks and Pitt St Mall.
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She performed in Parramatta Lanes Festival in Kay Armstrong’s work Momentum.
2015
Eliza graduated from Newtown High School of the Performing Arts receiving an ATAR 96.3, ranking 2nd in the NSW State in HSC Dance (100) and 1st in HSC Classical Ballet (non-ATAR - 99). Eliza was nominated to perform her Major Performance and Core Performance routines for Call Back at the Seymour Centre.
UTS Down To Earth
Le Salon & Jose-Torres Nadal -Â The University of Technology Sydney
Photography Trang Nguyen & Michelle Valderrama
LAZER BEAMS
Sharp Short Dance Festival - FORM Dance Projects - Riverside Theatres
Photography Dom O'Donnell
Contact
with Kieran Mitchell
Photography Auor Co - @auor_co @kristenljm
Salome
The Miraculous Mandarin - Ensemble Apex - Town Hall Sydney
Photography Keith Saunders
The Curtain Breathed Deeply
Justene Williams - Date Night - Penrith Regional Art Gallery & The Lewers' Bequest
Imagine Awards - Museums & Galleries NSW - National Art School
Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company
MASA Program - Zichri Theatre, Ga'aton - Works by Zoe Ziff, Elise Ferson, Natasha Sturgis & Lisa McLaughlan
