
WHALES and humans have had relationships for multiple millenia.
I wish to share in live dance work and film and a combination of both. How it changes you to dance with and like whales.
RE-igniting our felt sense of who we are a the core: Mammals, who care, love, make oxytocin, bond, hold our breath underwater, have complex social systems and make art through dance and song - much like:
OUR WHALE KIN.
Please enjoy choosing which ever footage you wish to experience a little of my practice.
For this below footage, please select the "cog icon", in the bottom right of the video window and select the highest quality HD, in the advanced settings. Wear headphones and watch in the dark on full screen on a computer.
If you only have 5 mins, please skip to start at 4.00 mins in, as the last third of the video is all credits.
Enjoy this footage.
(Further footage related to project and artist biogs below.)
I wish to share in live dance work and film and a combination of both. How it changes you to dance with and like whales.
RE-igniting our felt sense of who we are a the core: Mammals, who care, love, make oxytocin, bond, hold our breath underwater, have complex social systems and make art through dance and song - much like:
OUR WHALE KIN.
Please enjoy choosing which ever footage you wish to experience a little of my practice.
For this below footage, please select the "cog icon", in the bottom right of the video window and select the highest quality HD, in the advanced settings. Wear headphones and watch in the dark on full screen on a computer.
If you only have 5 mins, please skip to start at 4.00 mins in, as the last third of the video is all credits.
Enjoy this footage.
(Further footage related to project and artist biogs below.)
Below see a recent sharing of my exploration in Brisbane for the Phluxus2 Collective residency - IndepenDANCE in Nov 2023. This included bringing my own street dancers, contemporary dancers and being allocatted some from the pool of dancers with varied levels of experience. It was an exploration of the meeting place between releasing control, from release technique plus the harness I designed ... and super hyper specificity of animation, isolations and body control from street dance. A deep dive into body control techniques, is what I was able to research for a year thanks to an artist bursary. I will continue to expand this way of moving as a contrast to underwater dance which is wildly different and yet, interestingly similar to this harness realm of movement.
Please set the quality to HD, thank you.
Below see my collaborator and filmer from Vava'u Tonga - Villiami Wight. We worked together for weeks underwater for my research. He is phenomenal and the whales actually know him personally.
Below see the Biogs of my two main collaborators fro this project in A.R.T. 2024

YOLANDA LOWATTA
Yolanda is a Giedi woman born on Thursday Island and grew up in Mackay. She is a descendant of Yam Island in the Torres Strait and is also of Papua New Guinean and Fijian heritage.
Yolanda joined Bangarra in 2015 as a recipient of the Russell Page Graduate Program.
Moving to Brisbane in 2011, Yolanda graduated from the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts in 2013.
An Actor, Singer and Dancer, her credits include Mabo directed by Rachel Perkins; Stolen directed by Leah Purcell; and Up The Ladder directed by Wesley Enoch and choreographed by Penelope Mullen.
Yolanda has also appeared in Beguiled for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the Judith Wright Centre commission Danse Noir, both choreographed by Penelope Mullen.
Yolanda danced with Ochre Contemporary Dance Company in 2014 before joining Bangarra.
Since leaving Bangarra Yolanda danced for Yt dingo, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair and from 2019- 2021 she danced with Jannawi Dance Clan.
Recently Yolanda choreographed and performed her own solo named “As I Am’’ in the Bold Festival along
with a work shop in Torres Strait Contemporary. Yolanda has ventured into teaching dance with Austinmer Dance Theatre, Brolga Dance Academy, Classical Ballet Centre Canberra and QL2.
In 2016 Yolanda won the Helpmann Award for Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work, for her work in in Sheoak as part of the lore program.
In 2023 Yolanda took part in 8 days of full time sailling and resarch at sea with whales. Involving free diving, singing and dancing underwater with whales - in the Buchulla waters of K'Gari. An oxytocin project named DANCES with WHALES by Chloé Pisco.

JILLIBALU BARNS RILEY
Jillibalu Barns-Riley is a young Aboriginal artist based in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia.
His first official public performance was at the age of five at the Moomba Festival in Melbourne as part of the Mayi Wunba Dance group. Growing to perform with many more groups in traditional cultural dances, contemporary dance, break dance and circus.
As a little one, he kicked off his circus training in Kuranda, as part of the BLACKROBATS with Kelli Craig. He is still at the heart of this organisation.
He was performing regularly in Djabugay dances at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural
centre in Cairns.
He has been performing professionally since 2010, he graduated from the National Institute of Circus Arts in 2015 as the first known indigenous Australian to have graduated from NICA in it’s history.
He has since toured with the Djuki Mala, joined Chasing Smoke, the world’s first ever all First Nations Australian circus show and performed with Circus Oz. he is now on tour with C!RCA contemporary circus.
Jilli has had a freediving practice of his own for years and enjoys being free while diving in his home waters of the FNQ.
Jillibalu Barns-Riley is a young Aboriginal artist based in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia.
His first official public performance was at the age of five at the Moomba Festival in Melbourne as part of the Mayi Wunba Dance group. Growing to perform with many more groups in traditional cultural dances, contemporary dance, break dance and circus.
As a little one, he kicked off his circus training in Kuranda, as part of the BLACKROBATS with Kelli Craig. He is still at the heart of this organisation.
He was performing regularly in Djabugay dances at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural
centre in Cairns.
He has been performing professionally since 2010, he graduated from the National Institute of Circus Arts in 2015 as the first known indigenous Australian to have graduated from NICA in it’s history.
He has since toured with the Djuki Mala, joined Chasing Smoke, the world’s first ever all First Nations Australian circus show and performed with Circus Oz. he is now on tour with C!RCA contemporary circus.
Jilli has had a freediving practice of his own for years and enjoys being free while diving in his home waters of the FNQ.