Deb Roach and Katia Schwartz are soaring high as two of Australia’s most exciting performers with backgrounds in erotic dance, aerial dance, circus and burlesque.

Together these unique artists are trailblazing their own performance path, fusing sensuality and athleticism as well as d/Deaf and disability pride.

Deb and Katia will discuss their development as performers, their approach to their creativity and careers, what it’s like being a performer with disability and how Australia’s live performance industry is responding to the need for diversity and authentic representation.

Deb and Katia will be interviewed by director, actor and language, cultural and accessibility consultant Danni Wright.

This is the first edition of our FREE In-Conversation series for 2021. Our In-Conversation program profiles arts practitioners with disability.

When & Where

• Wednesday 12 May 2021
• 9:30am – 11am
• Zoom (link sent following registration)
• REGISTER NOW: https://aartsincon12apr2021.eventbrite.com.au

Panellists

Deb Roach (pictured right)

Deb Roach is 3 times Ultimate Pole Champion in the International Pole Dancing Championships. She toured the world with Extraordinary Bodies Circus throughout 2015 and 2016 and presented a TEDx talk on where the disabled and able-bodied worlds intersect. Today she is the owner of Stargazer Pole Studio in Blacktown and teaches barre, pilates and yoga across the city.

https://www.facebook.com/DebRoachPole/about/?ref=page_internal

Katia Schwartz (pictured left)

Smooth, silky and sensual, the owner of Sydney’s “Sky Sirens” Katia Schwartz is the hypno-teasing siren of the sky. This foxy fatale is known for melting her erotic roots with aerial artistry, creating slinky performances that are both provocative and dreamy. With her strawberries and cream silhouette, Katia’s unique erotic-esque style has mesmerised audiences across Australia since 2008. As a Deaf artist, Katia remembers every count and pattern of the song, the placement of her moves and relies on vibrations as cues. She says, “Being Deaf is my superpower”.

https://www.skysirens.com.au/dancing-deaf

Danni Wright (pictured centre)

Danni Wright (she/her), works within the film, television and theatre industry as a director, actor and language, cultural and accessibility consultant across diverse projects. She has studied internationally enriching her skills as a versatile theatre practitioner and performer. Danni is passionate about creativity and accessibility being entwined from the work’s inception rather than as an add-on or afterthought. Incorporating accessibility as part of performances normalises the experience for everyone. Danni was a co-writer, interviewer and language consultant on a recently produced short documentary about Katia called Deafying Gravity which was funded through the 2021 Screen NSW Screenability Filmmakers Fund.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-07/sign-language-naplan-tourism-in-covid-era/12847578

Participation

This event will be delivered using the Zoom online conferencing platform (Zoom links are provided following booking)

About Zoom

• Zoom is an easy to use, reliable and FREE cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars across mobile devices, desktops and telephones.
• If you haven’t used Zoom before you can find out more here: https://zoom.us/
• After signing up for this event, you’ll receive an email from us inviting you to a Zoom webinar.
• On the day of the event, all you have to do is click on the relevant link in the invitation, follow the prompts and you’ll be part of the event.

Access

This event will have live closed captioning and Auslan interpretation. Please advise any other access requirements during the registration process.

Enquiries

Please email info@aarts.net.au or call (02) 9251 6499 if you have any questions.

ENDS

Image Description: On the right is a colour photo of a blonde woman wearing a pink corset and skirt. In the middle is a coloured headshot of a woman with short white hair wearing a black top and flower earrings. On the right is a colour photo of a woman with dark hair wearing a pink sports top and shorts.