Dances with whales
INFO for PartnerS
Above: VIllami Wight - Our own team member and Tongan Underwater/ freediving Camera operator and whale guide. Sharing a moment of true peace, presence and connection to our WhaleKin.
Scroll below this Pitch document, to see details and amazing UPDATES!!!
UPDATES on our STATUS , Funding, Timelines and more
I have incredible NEWS for our whale film to update you with. The last few months have manifested the exact people I needed the most now.
UPDATE !!! See below next image - Part Funding for whales dancing indigenous cross over project with Dr Edwards and Dr Marshall confirmed! 02.02.24.
I also had face to face meetings with Hanway films, BBC film once more, Lionsgate and 14 others. We find ourselves in a very good position.
But I prefer to not have anyone have algorhythms tell me what I can and cannot include or what the elders and experts on whale relating i speak to can and cannot say.
E.g.: If the algorithm says we cannot bring up the Climate crisis or a % of our audience will switch off.
I will not edit anyone if the algorithm suggests/ directs it. This is why philanthropy or best of all the Sundance documentary fund is the most perfect and unrestricted way to make the film that the whales truly need us to make, to translate them to our human audiences, via our experts who are Indigenous to the waters and relationships with these very whales ancestrally.
I also spoke publicly on stage 3 times this last year, on my research regarding: pan sexuality in humpback whales. Including speaking at the "World Science Festival", curated by Brian Greene. The knock on effect of this has been phenomenal.
Even more exciting is the huge list of Australian indigenous and Pacifica: filmmakers, consultants, activists and artists that are all flocking to the project. I met quite a few each time I spoke at conferences on my research and explained that I was seeking more First Nations people who had ancestral links to whales, especially here in the Pacific, to include in the writing, devising, planning and filming of this feature. As well as being the main humans in front of the camera too.
I have been calling out to the spirits and living humans to connect me to exactly these folks. And a tsunami of brilliant collaborators matching the projects needs have manifested.
All passionate about whales, feminism, humanism, queer ecology and decentralising ourselves in the only real hope of reviving our struggling ecosystems by learning from animals.
So I hit the lucky jackpot multiple times in this regard this month!
So, I am completely overjoyed.
The highlight I think was meeting a slew of female, queer and indigenous Research fellows / doctors who work with song lines and INDIGENOUS FEMALE LED / LENS OF SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MARINE MAMMALS!!!
We have spoken almost every day since finding each other and we are expanding knowledge daily when we speak. Thanks to our specific lenses and ways of experiencing the world.
It is beyond thrilling and I might burst I am so grateful .
Each time we speak they confirm my hunches and instincts and theories about whales with their own 100,000 year old whale knowledge. I get chills each time we speak. And they are really getting alot from our shared passions and my perspective somehow also. I feel so blessed and can't believe they want to work on this too.
I can't wait to share the extraordinary details of the research behind the film and the growing team of FIRST NATIONS, (Hooorayh), driving collaborators with you.
All taking lead roles in the planning, writing and directing of the film.
I am ecstatic to be honest. This has taken a long time but now I am so well supported, which allows me to support the artists involved, keep us all spiritually and culturally safe and make the best film possible to uplift he message of the whales and their most expert and experienced translators - First peoples of the Pacific who have whale dreaming or are sea-kin.
All to reconstruct our evolution as a part of nature, as kinship, as custodianship - after our enforced separation from nature, animals, plants, the planet herself, spirit and inevitably ourselves.
More profound connection, underwater dancing with our kin Humpback whales !
UPDATE !!! See below next image - Part Funding for whales dancing indigenous cross over project with Dr Edwards and Dr Marshall confirmed! 02.02.24.
I also had face to face meetings with Hanway films, BBC film once more, Lionsgate and 14 others. We find ourselves in a very good position.
But I prefer to not have anyone have algorhythms tell me what I can and cannot include or what the elders and experts on whale relating i speak to can and cannot say.
E.g.: If the algorithm says we cannot bring up the Climate crisis or a % of our audience will switch off.
I will not edit anyone if the algorithm suggests/ directs it. This is why philanthropy or best of all the Sundance documentary fund is the most perfect and unrestricted way to make the film that the whales truly need us to make, to translate them to our human audiences, via our experts who are Indigenous to the waters and relationships with these very whales ancestrally.
I also spoke publicly on stage 3 times this last year, on my research regarding: pan sexuality in humpback whales. Including speaking at the "World Science Festival", curated by Brian Greene. The knock on effect of this has been phenomenal.
Even more exciting is the huge list of Australian indigenous and Pacifica: filmmakers, consultants, activists and artists that are all flocking to the project. I met quite a few each time I spoke at conferences on my research and explained that I was seeking more First Nations people who had ancestral links to whales, especially here in the Pacific, to include in the writing, devising, planning and filming of this feature. As well as being the main humans in front of the camera too.
I have been calling out to the spirits and living humans to connect me to exactly these folks. And a tsunami of brilliant collaborators matching the projects needs have manifested.
All passionate about whales, feminism, humanism, queer ecology and decentralising ourselves in the only real hope of reviving our struggling ecosystems by learning from animals.
So I hit the lucky jackpot multiple times in this regard this month!
So, I am completely overjoyed.
The highlight I think was meeting a slew of female, queer and indigenous Research fellows / doctors who work with song lines and INDIGENOUS FEMALE LED / LENS OF SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MARINE MAMMALS!!!
We have spoken almost every day since finding each other and we are expanding knowledge daily when we speak. Thanks to our specific lenses and ways of experiencing the world.
It is beyond thrilling and I might burst I am so grateful .
Each time we speak they confirm my hunches and instincts and theories about whales with their own 100,000 year old whale knowledge. I get chills each time we speak. And they are really getting alot from our shared passions and my perspective somehow also. I feel so blessed and can't believe they want to work on this too.
I can't wait to share the extraordinary details of the research behind the film and the growing team of FIRST NATIONS, (Hooorayh), driving collaborators with you.
All taking lead roles in the planning, writing and directing of the film.
I am ecstatic to be honest. This has taken a long time but now I am so well supported, which allows me to support the artists involved, keep us all spiritually and culturally safe and make the best film possible to uplift he message of the whales and their most expert and experienced translators - First peoples of the Pacific who have whale dreaming or are sea-kin.
All to reconstruct our evolution as a part of nature, as kinship, as custodianship - after our enforced separation from nature, animals, plants, the planet herself, spirit and inevitably ourselves.
More profound connection, underwater dancing with our kin Humpback whales !
Here are some of the brief info / highlights on our awesome new co-creators :)
Some of Our newly updated INDIGENOUS whale expert collaborators:
→ Some of the many indigenous advisers and collaborators in front and behind the camera.
Advising in all prep, replanning stages, ( now) and also speaking to us in front of the camera.
Dr Edwards And Dr Marshall will both join the writing team.
(Note - All artists participating will have editorial power over their image and sound adn the content that is sensitive to them and their cultures also.)
UPDATED !
UPDATE !!! Part Funding for cross over project With Edwards and Marshall confirmed! 02.02.24.
Director Chloé Pisco and two awesome DPs, (both are First Nations filmmakers), will all fly in March 2024 to begin the journey from the beginning of the SOUTHERN RIGHT whale migration journey, starting in Tasmania. This is a journey that Jodi and Chels wish to undertake. Following the migration of the whales and meeting elders all along the way with whale connection.
They have hired Chloé to document their own journey.
This footage is agreed to serve both of their research and filmmaking needs and purposes. Harmonious mutualism, like nature.
The journey for these two female indigenous academics and their experience of learning to free dive and then meet their first whales underwater, is fully funded by the research budget of their project. And this included the film budget to travel and document, more for a moving image highlights, but through this collab. We will all have the whole expreince documented even more deeply.
The two post Doctoral research fellows, are also bringing 7 indigenous women to learn to free dive on this journey. So they may encounter their first whale underwater too. This is also part of their small documenting budget.
This whole shoot is an extra leg of the story of Dances with whales, and yet, aligns exactly with out plans and hearts direction so far. How lucky!
We could not be more excited about the mutual learning that is happening between us and the collaboration that has begun.
I hope this news and other parts land on receptive ears as this project wishes to dismantle the human constructs of:
separatism, the idea we are separate from anything-->
ESPECIALLY in Nature, each other, whales, a tree, a bacterium... anything and everything.
We are all inherently linked. We are collective.
We always were. And always will be too.
How extraordinary this life is!!!
Huge thanks for reading this tiny summary of mega positive updates and developments we have had.
CHARACTERS
→ Chloé Pisco, the instigator of all of this. She has lucid dreamt of whales and dolphins, even becoming one, since she was a child. She chased her dream of connection, communicating and expressing herself with whales, into reality.
→ Tyrel Dulvarie - Ex Bangarra Dance theatre Dancer and proudly from Gimuy, he is a descendant of the Yirrganydji, Djirrabul, Kalkadoon and Umpila peoples.
→ Yolanda Lowatta - Ex Bangarra Dance theatre Dancer and a proud Giedi woman born on Thursday Island. She is a descendant of Yam Island in the Torres Strait and is also of Papua New Guinean and Fijian heritage.
→ Waangenga Blanco - From the Mer Island people and of the Pajinka Wik, Cape York. After studying at NAISDA, Waangenga was invited to join Bangarra in 2005. His career highlights during his 13 years with them, include the company's return to Meriam Mer in the Torres Strait Islands to perform Emeret Lu by the ocean and also dancing on the football field in Yirrkala for the community as well countless awards and choreographic credits.
→ Jilli Balu Riley is a Djabugay and Muluridji man from the Kuranda area of Far North “so called” Queensland, Australia. He is an acrobat for C!RCA, a dancer and even a self taught free diver who spearfished since he was young.
--> Dalisa Pigram - a proud Yawuru/Bardi woman and Artistic co - director of MARRUGEKU company - Sydney/ Broome.
→ Guy Ritani - Proud Takatapui Māori non binary, artist, dancer, activist, designer and permaqueer educator from Aotearoa ( New Zealand.)
→ Dominique “Domi” Abraham - A Papuan New Guinean Australian woman, International teacher of freediving for Molchanov, underwater mermaid performer and safety diver. Her passion for meditation, relaxation and vagus nerve releases / somatic experiencing all inform her teaching practice in free diving.
She will be our underwater mama. Her partner Harry, also a safety free diver and excellent teacher and their 3 year old will be onboard also. They are all the sweetest people you have ever met... plus they dive as a family too.
Domi and Harry will teach all the dancers to freedive safely.
→ Amber Bourke - Multiple record holder and global Freedive champion - Incredible multiple record holding freediving World champion from Meanjin (Brisbane), and free diver.
→ Adam Stern - Multiple record holder and global Freedive champion - free diver from Wollongong Australia with years of experience free diving with whales.
Expert Discussions:
Along with their in depth planning for research ethics, there is also a dynamic, every evolving protocols being developed with every step of planning by Pisco and a long list of advisers. All working on how to collaborate safely with First Nations people with all types of expertise, to minimise risks to them in this work. E.G. Writing a cultural, spiritual and mental health risk assessment plan, developing this with people with similar lived experience from the arts, producing etc and most importantly a First Nations perspective.
Engaging with Shifting ground and other organisations that can help decolonise our approaches, systems and thinking.
As well as how to keep evolving, assessing and improving those methods of plan making.
Some of Our newly updated INDIGENOUS whale expert collaborators:
→ Some of the many indigenous advisers and collaborators in front and behind the camera.
Advising in all prep, replanning stages, ( now) and also speaking to us in front of the camera.
Dr Edwards And Dr Marshall will both join the writing team.
(Note - All artists participating will have editorial power over their image and sound adn the content that is sensitive to them and their cultures also.)
UPDATED !
- Dr Jodi Edwards - Yuin woman with Dharawal kinship connection who has dedicated her life to Community, Culture, education and Language. Her nation has a long history of "singing in the whales". She has just secured 3 year funding to map the songlines of 3 types of whales, the sea floor all along the east coast, using women lead indigenous science - and relate the knowledge back to the whale migrations and their changes.
- Dr Chelsea Marshall - A Gumbangia woman from near Coff's harbour Australia. She is a co- creator with Jodi on above project. Her people also have long ancestral relationships with and practices of "singing in the whales to shore". Chelsea is also part of the world famous INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS LAB by Tyson Yunkaporta, at DEAKIN University.
See here: https://ikslab.deakin.edu.au/about-us-2/ - Chels’s work focuses on the role and efficacy of Indigenous approaches to marine environment resources. She looks at management and sustainable resource use in the era of human-induced climate change, and the relationship of these diverse forms of knowledge, to each other and to global Western scientific approaches, either in partnered co-management or distinctively.
UPDATE !!! Part Funding for cross over project With Edwards and Marshall confirmed! 02.02.24.
Director Chloé Pisco and two awesome DPs, (both are First Nations filmmakers), will all fly in March 2024 to begin the journey from the beginning of the SOUTHERN RIGHT whale migration journey, starting in Tasmania. This is a journey that Jodi and Chels wish to undertake. Following the migration of the whales and meeting elders all along the way with whale connection.
They have hired Chloé to document their own journey.
This footage is agreed to serve both of their research and filmmaking needs and purposes. Harmonious mutualism, like nature.
The journey for these two female indigenous academics and their experience of learning to free dive and then meet their first whales underwater, is fully funded by the research budget of their project. And this included the film budget to travel and document, more for a moving image highlights, but through this collab. We will all have the whole expreince documented even more deeply.
The two post Doctoral research fellows, are also bringing 7 indigenous women to learn to free dive on this journey. So they may encounter their first whale underwater too. This is also part of their small documenting budget.
This whole shoot is an extra leg of the story of Dances with whales, and yet, aligns exactly with out plans and hearts direction so far. How lucky!
We could not be more excited about the mutual learning that is happening between us and the collaboration that has begun.
I hope this news and other parts land on receptive ears as this project wishes to dismantle the human constructs of:
separatism, the idea we are separate from anything-->
ESPECIALLY in Nature, each other, whales, a tree, a bacterium... anything and everything.
We are all inherently linked. We are collective.
We always were. And always will be too.
How extraordinary this life is!!!
Huge thanks for reading this tiny summary of mega positive updates and developments we have had.
CHARACTERS
→ Chloé Pisco, the instigator of all of this. She has lucid dreamt of whales and dolphins, even becoming one, since she was a child. She chased her dream of connection, communicating and expressing herself with whales, into reality.
→ Tyrel Dulvarie - Ex Bangarra Dance theatre Dancer and proudly from Gimuy, he is a descendant of the Yirrganydji, Djirrabul, Kalkadoon and Umpila peoples.
→ Yolanda Lowatta - Ex Bangarra Dance theatre Dancer and a proud Giedi woman born on Thursday Island. She is a descendant of Yam Island in the Torres Strait and is also of Papua New Guinean and Fijian heritage.
→ Waangenga Blanco - From the Mer Island people and of the Pajinka Wik, Cape York. After studying at NAISDA, Waangenga was invited to join Bangarra in 2005. His career highlights during his 13 years with them, include the company's return to Meriam Mer in the Torres Strait Islands to perform Emeret Lu by the ocean and also dancing on the football field in Yirrkala for the community as well countless awards and choreographic credits.
→ Jilli Balu Riley is a Djabugay and Muluridji man from the Kuranda area of Far North “so called” Queensland, Australia. He is an acrobat for C!RCA, a dancer and even a self taught free diver who spearfished since he was young.
--> Dalisa Pigram - a proud Yawuru/Bardi woman and Artistic co - director of MARRUGEKU company - Sydney/ Broome.
→ Guy Ritani - Proud Takatapui Māori non binary, artist, dancer, activist, designer and permaqueer educator from Aotearoa ( New Zealand.)
→ Dominique “Domi” Abraham - A Papuan New Guinean Australian woman, International teacher of freediving for Molchanov, underwater mermaid performer and safety diver. Her passion for meditation, relaxation and vagus nerve releases / somatic experiencing all inform her teaching practice in free diving.
She will be our underwater mama. Her partner Harry, also a safety free diver and excellent teacher and their 3 year old will be onboard also. They are all the sweetest people you have ever met... plus they dive as a family too.
Domi and Harry will teach all the dancers to freedive safely.
→ Amber Bourke - Multiple record holder and global Freedive champion - Incredible multiple record holding freediving World champion from Meanjin (Brisbane), and free diver.
→ Adam Stern - Multiple record holder and global Freedive champion - free diver from Wollongong Australia with years of experience free diving with whales.
Expert Discussions:
- Alexis Pauline Gumbs : Author of Undrowned: BLACK FEMINIST LESSONS from MARINE MAMMALS.
- Dr Nan Hauser : President & Director of the Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation Marine biologist in the Cook islands, whose life was saved by a humpback whale.
- Tyson Yunkaporta : (TBA) Author of SAND TALK: How indigenous thinking can save the world. Director of the Indigenous Knowledge systems Lab.
- Meleika Gesa-Fatafehi : a Torres Strait Islander and Tongan storyteller whose writing work focuses on poetry and climate change.
- Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare -Authors of Survival of the Friendliest.
- Paul Watson : Co - Founder of Greenpeace and founder of Sea Shepherd who's entire life was changed by the altruism of a whale.
- Katie Payne: First in modern day, to recognise the whale sounds were actual song/ music and co producer of Songs of the Humpback Whale 1970.
- Philip Wollen: Animal advocate and philanthropist, co founder of Sea shepherd Australia.
- Tentative and delicate research is ongoing to establish exactly what sharing of which knowledge, from a long list of indigenous elders recognised as having specific connections with whales, is appropriate and safe for them to share, (from Australia, Tonga and some from North America.)
Along with their in depth planning for research ethics, there is also a dynamic, every evolving protocols being developed with every step of planning by Pisco and a long list of advisers. All working on how to collaborate safely with First Nations people with all types of expertise, to minimise risks to them in this work. E.G. Writing a cultural, spiritual and mental health risk assessment plan, developing this with people with similar lived experience from the arts, producing etc and most importantly a First Nations perspective.
Engaging with Shifting ground and other organisations that can help decolonise our approaches, systems and thinking.
As well as how to keep evolving, assessing and improving those methods of plan making.
We wish to acknowledge the Butchulla people, the Yugambeh people, the clans that make up the Bundjalung Nations, the Turrbal and Yaggera people, as original custodians of the lands and seas where we often work.
Places where stories, culture and art have been made and shared for millennia. Recognising their ancestors, as well as past, current and future elders; whose sovereign country was never ceded.
Australia always was, and always will be, aboriginal land.