Blue Mountains News

Residents will access professional space to create, rehearse and perform as well as connect with a team of mentors and additional support to help them hone their craft and propel their art practice to the next level.

The four residents are:

• YALIA, a collaboration between singer-songwriter and producer Alia Sharp and dancer and physical performer Emily Yali. Together they plan to use the residency to develop an audio-visual performance project.
• Jerrah Patston is a 25-year-old musician from Springwood who works in Parramatta at the Club Weld studio for neurodiverse musicians. Together with his collaborator, Sam Worrad, Jerrah hopes his residency will help him create a professional show for his upcoming album release – Going Places –and that he can then take the show on tour.
• Katya Petetskaya is a visual artist who is intending to use her residency to develop a performance art piece called MORPHISM for a theatre environment.
• Maizy Coombes is violinist and singer/songwriter who uses a loop pedal to experiment with sound and performance. She is aiming for her residency to result in an immersive performance of her original music and she can then tour the performance.

(Further information on the residents can be found on page 2.)

Katrina Noorbergen, Cultural Development Coordinator for Blue Mountains City Council said: “We are thrilled to introduce our first ever PROPEL residents and that we have such a diverse range of artists. What connects them is their desire to develop their performance practice and explore all opportunities. We’re excited to follow their creative journey and see what they present at their showcase at the end of their residencies.”

Coordinated by the Blue Mountains City Council’s Cultural Development department in partnership with the Blue Mountains Theatre, and with generous support from the City of the Arts Trust and MTNS MADE, Propel Projects Emerging Performers Residency (PROPEL) is an initiative created to help support emerging performing arts practice in the region.

There will be two residencies between August 2022 to January 2023 and two between February and July 2023. The residencies will take place within Council performing venues such as the Wentworth Falls School of Arts and the Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub. Residents will access time and space within Council facilities to develop new work or rehearse existing works, alongside a suite of additional support and networking opportunities such as an artist stipend, industry mentorships, technical and production support, and most excitingly, the opportunity to perform a showcase at the end of their residency.

Critical to the residency will be the mentorship offered to residents. Residents will be matched with industry professionals depending on their art form, professional needs and goals for the residency and together they will map out goals, exchange feedback and ideas.

Details for the showcases will be announced at the end of 2022.

YALIA

YALIA is a collaboration between singer-songwriter and producer Alia Sharp, and dancer and physical performer Emily Yali. Combining the complex beat-making and eclectic vocals of Alia and the grounding and ethereal bodywork of Yali, YALIA combines storytelling, song writing and physical theatre to tell stories with their bodies and voices, often featuring costumes or props made with organic and recycled materials.

“We are excited to see what this opportunity will allow us to create and share with the community that has nourished us for many years. Thank you!” said the duo.

YALIA aims for the residency experience to produce a live show that is part storytelling and part live music. The focus will be on issues such as environmental justice and body image.

Jerrah Patston

Jerrah Patston is a 25-year-old musician from Springwood who works in Parramatta at the Club Weld studio for neurodiverse musicians where he collaborates with Sam Worrad.

"Doing a residency in my hometown will help me get comfortable with bigger stages. I’m excited to share my new songs about different places I've been - they're great to sing and I think people will want to sing along,” said Jerrah.

“Live performance and larger stages can hold some sensory challenges for artists with autism, and getting to know these spaces will be great for Jerrah's career...I'm really happy to see this recognition of Jerrah's brilliant musicianship and artistry," said Sam.

Completing a residency which utilises professional performance space and technical support will help Jerrah to put together a professional show for his upcoming Going Places album release, maximising the impact of visual and lighting transitions. Jerrah and Sam plan to include projections for each song/location.

Katya Petetskaya

Katya Petetskaya is an established visual artist who is developing her practise in performance art. Born in the Soviet Union, she grew up through the change of regimes in 90’s Russia which continues to have an impact on her practice today.

“I am very excited about the support of the PROPEL Residency in helping me to develop a live performance suitable for a professional stage production, an opportunity I have never had before. It will bring my performance work to another level!” she said.

Katya will be undertaking the residency with her project MORPHISM, an experience of time-layering and the co-existence of the past, present and future.

Maizy Coombes

Maizy Coombes is a violinist and folk singer/songwriter who experiments with a loop pedal to support herself. “The best way I can think to describe my creative arts practice is: I’m a folk musician that went a bit rogue with a loop pedal,” says Maizy. "I've always felt lucky growing up in such a supportive creative community. To be presented with this opportunity only adds to this feeling. I'm hoping that through the residency I can create a performance that I'm proud to share with the community I'm proud to be a part of.”

The outcome of the residency will be the performance of an immersive performance of “Maizy Coombes” original music that can then go on the road.