Over the last eight years of working together we have created a distinct style, dance language, and identity as The Fondue Set. We have a desire to continually develop the possibilities of what The Fondue Set is and could be. We see ourselves as an ever-evolving expanding entity, always questioning and exploring our movement language, and seeking opportunities to work with new people and processes in order to shift the parameters of our work.
Biography
The Fondue Set have created and performed the following works: Evening Magic II: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough commissioned by the Performance Space at Carriageworks in October 2007. The Set (Up), performed in its first stage as a result of a Choreographic Fellowship at The Australian Choreographic Centre in 2004. The second stage was produced by Onextra to premiere at Performance Space in 2005, and toured in 2006 to Melbourne (Dancehouse), Osaka (Dancebox) and Matsuyama, Japan; Blue Moves, produced by Onextra and performed at the Seymour Centre, Sydney in 2003, excerpts of which were performed at the 2003 Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Performance Space's 2002 ANTISTATIC dance festival; Love and Other Indoor Sports at The Old Fitzroy in 2002 and at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2003; Soft Cheese, produced by Onextra at the Seymour Centre in 2002; Evening Magic at The Hopetoun Hotel in 2001 and at the 2002 Adelaide Fringe Festival.
In January 2009, The Fondue Set performed The Hoofer with 60 guest artists at Movers and Shakers for Festival First Night and in February performed The Hoofer with 130 school students at Campbelltown Arts Centre. In 2007 The Fondue Set undertook a 6 week creative development with award winning UK based director Wendy Houstoun (DV8 and Forced Entertainment) to develop their new work No Success Like Failure. This work premiered at The Studio, Sydney Opera House in June, 2008, followed by seasons at Campbelltown Arts Centre and Arts House, Melbourne in August 2008.
In 2007, the Fondue Set were commissioned by the ABC to produce a video work entitled The Fondue Set Presents The Lorrae Desmond Show for the ABC 50th Anniversary Project, which was screened as part of the 2008 Sydney Festival's Dance on Screen program and the aligned exhibition at Campbelltown Arts Centre 2007. They were also regular guests on ABC TV series, the Sideshow, hosted by Paul McDermott.
In 2006 the Fondue Set were among the dance artists from Australia to participate in the Australia Japan Dance Exchange co produced by The Studio, Sydney Opera House; Onextra, and Critical Path. Through this project they performed their work in Osaka and Matsuyama, Japan, and on returning to Australia with artists from Japan, undertook two weeks of research at Critical Path, followed by a performance at The Studio, Sydney Opera House. They were hosts for the 2006 Reeldance International Dance on Screen Festival at The Studio, Sydney Opera House, and performed at Reeldance Tracks. They performed with Version 1.0 in From a Distance at Arts House, Melbourne and at Performance Space, Sydney in April 2006.
The Fondue Set has received two research grants through Critical Path to work with Berlin-based Australian artist Paul Gazzola in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, The Fondue Set was also invited by Critical Path to participate in Space for Ideas, an intensive two week research period with UK based choroegrapher Jonathon Burrows.
In 2004 The Fondue Set performed at Duckies in London, Hi Fi in Amsterdam, and Canaldanse in Paris. On their return to Australia, The Fondue Set performed in Confit au Canard with Rosalind Crisp, Andrew Morrish, and David Corbett at Dancehouse, Melbourne and Performance Space, Sydney. The Fondue Set also co-created the dance film Are We there Yet? with Sydney based visual artists, Kate Murphy and Peter Volich. The film was selected to screen at the Electrofringe Festival in September 2004.
Emma Saunders graduated with a BA in Dance and Grad Dip Ed (Dance/Drama) from the University of Western Sydney in 1996. Emma has choreographed the film clip Red Robin Heart for Sydney-based band Pip Branson Corporation which was screened as part of the 2008 Sydney Festival’s Movers and Shakers dance on screen program. In 2007, Emma received a Critical Path research grant to further develop her solo practice utilizing her work in The Fondue Set as a starting point. This instigated her solo, Pavlov’s Dog, which was performed as part of the We Like Short Shorts season at Dancehouse, Melbourne 2007, East Coast Dance Exchange for Critical Path and Nighttime at Performance Space, both in 2008. Emma is looking forward to the following 2009 projects: ”outside eye” with Sydney performance trio POST for Shamelessly Glitzy Work; preparing to remount A Day In the Life Of... (Pulse 8 youth dance company, May 2008); launching The Ladyclass by inviting women over 40 to join Emma in her dance practice exploration and in turn explore their own; and collaborating with visual artist Daniel Mudie Cunningham to create a new video work based on the dance Oh Industry featured in the movie Beaches. She is also very much looking forward to being back in Melbourne in September to work on the Reverb project. Emma has recently been appointed Dance Curator at Campbelltown Arts Centre.
Elizabeth Ryan graduated from UWS Nepean with a BA in dance, Elizabeth performed with various independent artists before several years in the UK performing and teaching including with te Pooka Performance Company (Scotland). Since returning to Australia, Elizabeth has been pursuing an improvisation practice performing in many improvisation evenings at Omeo Dance Studio and the Performance Space; performed in several short dance films; participated in The National Choreographic Laboratory with Rosalind Crisp; and performed in Version 1.0’s From a Distance. She worked with Dean Walsh throughout the development of Back from Front, and performed in the premiere in May 2008 at the Performance Space at Carriageworks, Sydney. In 2009 Elizabeth will be working with Force Majeure for the first stage development of their new work and in September will present a solo work as part of Folk Dancing - an evening of short works at Campbelltown Arts Centre.
Jane McKernan graduated from Queensland University of Technology, Academy of the Arts with a Bachelor of Arts (Dance) in 1997. Jane has performed with Rosalind Crisp, Padma Menon Dance Theatre, Eleanor Brickhill and with performance group, Version 1.0. In 2008, she performed in Nalina Wait’s Dual at the Live Works Festival, Performance Space. Jane has just completed a Critical Path residency in collaboration with Lizzie Thomson, following on from a 2006 Performance Space residency ‘ Do I Look Big In This Show?’ Jane has performed her solo work at Performance Space (2002), Dancehouse and at Omeo Dance Studio. Jane received a grant from the Goethe Institut to travel to Berlin in 2006, where she took part in a residency at Tanzfabrik with Andrew Morrish, and performed in Paris as part of Les Crocodiles at Atelier de Paris-Carolyn Carlson. She will travel to New York in April for 3 months, and in September will curate Folk Dancing - an evening of short works at Campbelltown Arts Centre.
