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HAPPY HOUR #17

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We are delighted to announce the 17th edition of our Happy Hour Series.

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Happy Hour #17 is curated by Feras Shaheen and is a double bill shared by two incredible duos: CONJAH (Ooshcon and Jahra Wasasala) and Zain El-Roubaei + Gabriela Quinsacara

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Happy Hour is ReadyMade Works' signature short works program showcasing the extraordinary practices of Sydney's independent dance artists. Initiated by Linda Luke and Samantha Chester in 2016, Happy Hour is the platform for encountering the diverse and uncompromising work being made by local dance artists.

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Sat 9th Mar 2024, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm AEDT

Date: March, Sat 9th - Sun 10th 2024

Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm AEDT

Cost: $15

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ARTISTS BIOGRAPHIES:

ooshcon:
Embedded in love and devoted to flow - ooshcon is a Samoan ‘decipher of circles’, who specialises in free-body methodologies. The core belief ‘ina ia sosolo le alofa / so love may flow’ is imbued into ooshcon’s evolving practice and way of being.

ooshcon’s work is grounded and actualised through the forms and philosophies of Waving Dance culture, Krump Dance culture, Animation Dance, Geometric Dance, Breath-work and Character/Entity-building. ooshcon embraces these forms with emotional rigour and innovative theatrical practices in pursuit of ‘formlessness’.

ooshcon is a trusted facilitator throughout his practice and communities. Through his work ooshcon strives to symbolically assist others to journey into new personal depths and build on their own ‘emotional content’.

Jahra Wasasala:
Jahra (Arieta) Wasasala is a Fijian world-builder, movement psychopomp and writer of realms. Within Viti, they hail from the provinces of Macuata and Ba. Jahra is geographically based in the relational space in-between one world ending and another world beginning. Through the eye of 'Oceanic Terror-fi', future-mythos and the genealogy of terror and transmutation, Jahra constantly moves towards being Spirit-led and blood-led in their evolving creative offerings.

As an ‘unreal within a beyond-body’, Jahra centres the dance and voice of the 'beyond-body' as their tool of transmutation, serving as the beginning and returning point for their world-building and world-bending practice. Jahra’s training continues to evolve, currently encompassing Krump, Physical Theatre, Body Control techniques, Butoh study, Waving, Character work and ‘Creature-Conditioning’, which comprises of movement mobility and strength training and non-human movement research. Jahra’s theatre-making and research practice is multi-disciplinary and multi-bodied. Their practice is pantheon-based, grounded in belief and speaks into Indigenous future-mythos, culminating in a genre of ‘Oceanic Terror-fi’. Intuitive yet deliberate, disciplined yet Spirit-led, Jahra’s public practice is known for it’s other-worldly physicality, theatrical immersion and transcendent performance level. 

Zain  El-Roubaei:
Zain is a dancer, writer, and astrologer whose movement is indebted to the histories of popping and animation, styles they have drawn on to compete both in Australia and abroad. Their recent scholarship examined the Black queer potentials in techno and music technology -- in particular in the works of Palestinian and Black Femme DJs. Their astrological practice relies on Hellenistic and Medieval Islamic sources, and is an attempt to reignite elements of the tradition previously lost. They currently teach history on unceded Gadigal Land, also known as The University of Sydney.

Gabriela Quinsacara:
Gabriela is a Gadigal based Samoan/Chilean freestyle dancer, and performer. Representing multidisciplinary dance crew, Riddim Nation, Gabriela has been an active member of Sydney's street dance scene, judging and competing in battles locally, as well as overseas.

Growing up between Naarm and Tāmaki Makaurau, Gabriela had been exposed to various Pacific Island dances throughout her school years. And with Popping as her main style, Gabriela has been working towards fusing elements of Siva Samoa into her craft since 2017.
 

Image Credit: CONJAH, Holly Burgess

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