Dancehouse’s New Chair and Deputy Chair for 2023
Melanie Lane, Viviana Sacchero, Shelley Lasica, Nick Hays
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Melanie Lane. Photo by Barbara Dietl.
Dancehouse Announces New Chair & Deputy Chair for 2023
Today, Dancehouse have announced the appointment of a new Chair, Melanie Lane, and Deputy Chair, Viviana Sacchero to commence in 2023.
The new officers are current Board members of Dancehouse and proudly take over from current long-standing and respected Dancehouse Chair, Shelley Lasica and Deputy Chair, Nick Hays.
Dancehouse acknowledges the vital voice and opportunity for independent dance artists to take up leadership positions within the small to medium Australian arts infrastructure. Incoming Chair Melanie Lane is a prominent independent dance artist and thinker with an established practice as a choreographer in Melbourne as well as internationally. She continues the legacy of luminary Shelley Lasica, a prominent artist and leader of the Australian scene.
Similarly, Dancehouse Deputy Chairs are celebrated artworkers in dance. Viviana Sacchero is currently Audience Engagement Manager at The Australian Ballet, and she continues the excellent work of Nick Hays, Executive Director, Australian Dance Theatre.
Shelley Lasica has supported Dancehouse with 9 years, and Nick Hays with 6 years, of exemplary leadership and voluntary Board service.
In line with the Dancehouse’s establishment by independent dance artists, the organisation proudly boasts a board comprising independent dance artists (at least 50%) alongside other specialist members including: Shelley Lasica, Nick Hays, Josef Lehrer, Tiffany Lucas, Dean Hampel, Melanie Lane, Ngioka Bunda-Heath, Sandra Parker, Veronica Bolzon, and Viviana Sacchero.
Dancehouse CEO and Artistic Director Josh Wright said:
“Shelley Lasica and Nick Hays have offered incredible support to Dancehouse and to our teams and communities for many valuable years — not least the last three pandemic years. It is only fitting that their legacy is continued with the leadership of Melanie Lane, and Viviana Sacchero as Dancehouse continues to build and strengthen our important work. I am delighted to continue working with Melanie and Viviana, and wholeheartedly thank Shelley and Nick for their unwavering wisdom and guidance.”
Outgoing Dancehouse Chair Shelley Lasica said:
“It’s vital that independent artists continue to take-up Governance roles and to be actively involved in the running and development of Australia’s vital small to medium arts organisations. I am proud to be leaving Dancehouse in an improved financial position, with exciting artistic programs, and with a clear role in our dance community. I congratulate Melanie Lane and Viviana Sacchero on their appointments, and thank them for their current and future contributions to Dancehouse.”
Incoming Dancehouse Chair Melanie Lane said:
“I wish to thank Shelley Lasica and Nick Hays for their dedication and commitment to Dancehouse and the dance sector over their combined 15 years of voluntary service. I am thrilled to lead the Dancehouse Board with Viviana, and the Dancehouse team, and continue our collective vision at Dancehouse as Australia’s celebrated (and only) year-round home for the producing and presentation of projects by independent dance artists.”
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Melanie Lane, incoming Dancehouse Chair 2023
Melanie Lane is a choreographer and performer working between Naarm/Melbourne and Ngunnawal/Canberra. She works across visual arts, theatre, music and film. Her choreographic work interrogates physical and social realities to create surreal futures that are confounded, broken and reconfigured.
She has been commissioned by Sydney Dance Company, Australasian Dance Collective, Dance North, Chunky Move, Schauspiel Leipzig and West Australian Ballet (among others) and has toured her independent work internationally. Her collaborations include projects with UK musician CLARK, Adena Jacobs, Amos Gebhardt, Leyla Stevens and Monica Lim.
As a performer, Lane has worked with artists such as Tino Seghal, Jan Pusch, Arco Renz, Eun Me Ahn, Club Guy and Roni, Jo Lloyd, Antony Hamilton and Lucy Guerin. Melanie was the 2015 resident director at Lucy Guerin Inc. and is Resident Artist at The Substation, Melbourne .
Viviana Sacchero, incoming Dancehouse Deputy Chair 2023
In 2000 Viviana Sacchero graduated with a BA Creative Arts at Deakin University and was subsequently recruited onto the teaching faculty where she was a Lecturer in Dance from 2002-2008. She served as the Chair of Ausdance Vic from 2003-2006. Since 2010 Viviana has worked at The Australian Ballet and in 2019 graduated with an MFA in Cultural leadership NIDA.
Shelley Lasica, outgoing Dancehouse Chair
For more than 40 years, Shelley Lasica has pushed the confines of dance, choreography and performance. Her practice is defined by an enduring interest in the
context and situations of presenting choreography. Lasica has also been a mentor, teacher and advocate in choreography and dance throughout her career.
Lasica’s choreographic works have been shown nationally and internationally within both visual art and theatre contexts, including: Melbourne Festival; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Chunky Move, Melbourne; Artspace, Sydney; Centre Nationale de la Danse, Paris; Siobhan Davies Studios, London; Dance Massive, Melbourne; Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne; Murray White Room, Melbourne; Neon Parc, Melbourne and Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne.
WHEN I AM NOT THERE an exhibition-performance commissioned by Monash University Museum of Art (2022) and Art Gallery of New South Wales (2023). She is also a lead research associate with the Precarious Movements research initiative based at University of New South Wales.
Nick Hays, outgoing Dancehouse Deputy Chair
Nick Hays is the Executive Director of Australian Dance Theatre, the nation’s oldest contemporary dance company founded on Kaurna Country (Adelaide) in 1965. Nick has worked in Australia’s cultural sector for nearly 20 years; prior to ADT at The Australian Ballet in Melbourne as a senior member of its Philanthropy team, as well as at Arts Centre Melbourne and Heide Museum of Modern Art. Alongside the Board of Dancehouse, Nick has also been Chair of Melbourne-based independent theatre company, Rawcus and Board member of the Public Galleries Association; Nick is currently on the Board of Writers SA and the Board of Project Animo, an initiative of The Australian Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Alice Topp.