Baroque Reimagined is MADE’S 2027 major production. This application seeks support for Stage Two of a three-stage creative partnership between MADE, Australia’s baroque supergroup, Van Diemen’s Band (VDB), and leading Brisbane-based choreographer Daryl Brandwood, culminating in a major new work to be premiered in Tasmania in 2027. Stage One, completed in 2025, brought together MADE, ...
MADE
Baroque Reimagined
GOAL
$8,000
Australia > TAS > Metro and Regional
Field of Interest
- Arts and culture
- Health/wellbeing and medical research
Target Population
- General population
- Seniors (65+)
MADE
MADE is a nationally recognised dance-theatre company based in Hobart, dedicated to the artistic, educative, and health-related benefits of dance for mature adults. Through high-quality classes and distinctive dance-theatre productions, MADE provides opportunities for lifelong learning, creative expression, and public performance by mature artists.
Championing intergenerational exchange and community connection, MADE challenges age-based stereotypes. We affirm that dance is a lifelong practice. We redefine contemporary performance by foregrounding the wisdom, experience, and expressive power of mature-aged bodies in motion. At the heart of our work is a belief in the transformative power of movement to connect, inspire, and empower. MADE is a dynamic collective of dancers, artists, and creatives committed to expanding who is seen on stage and whose stories are told. We celebrate experience, artistry, and the beauty of mature bodies through bold, socially engaged performance.
Our practice is grounded in the creation of authentic, socially resonant works presented in both traditional theatres and unconventional, site-responsive settings across Australia and internationally. We foster intergenerational and interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating contemporary dance with music, visual art, spoken word, and digital and site-based practices to stimulate new forms of creative exchange.
Ensemble members are drawn from MADE’s statewide program of weekly classes and community workshops, providing a sustained pathway for mature artists to develop, create, and perform. Guest choreographers are commissioned to undertake rigorous creative developments, engaging with contemporary themes through a mature-aged perspective, and contributing to the ongoing evolution of the company’s artistic practice.
Project Summary
Baroque Reimagined is MADE’S 2027 major production. This application seeks support for Stage Two of a three-stage creative partnership between MADE, Australia’s baroque supergroup, Van Diemen’s Band (VDB), and leading Brisbane-based choreographer Daryl Brandwood, culminating in a major new work to be premiered in Tasmania in 2027.
Stage One, completed in 2025, brought together MADE, VDB and Daryl Brandwood in a series of exploratory discussions that established the artistic vision, shared values, and commitment to long-term collaboration. This foundational phase confirmed the partners’ collective ambition to create an innovative work that brings Baroque music and contemporary dance into meaningful dialogue.
Stage Two, for which funding is now sought, is the core creative development phase. During this period, Brandwood will undertake an extended Tasmanian residency, working closely with VDB Artistic Director Simon Rickard and specialist musicians. Together with MADE’s Ensemble, the team will explore Baroque courtly forms and musical structures through contemporary choreographic practice.
Over two intensive weeks, the artists will establish clear creative objectives, generate original material, and develop choreographic motifs and compositional frameworks. Improvisation and collaborative experimentation will be central to this process, allowing live Baroque music and textured movement to interact in dynamic and unexpected ways. This stage will shape the artistic language, structure, and integrity of the final production. It will ensure that the 2027 premiere is artistically outstanding, deeply collaborative, and meets MADE’s expectations for a bold new work.
Project Outcomes
This project will establish the artistic and structural foundations for a major new dance and music work to be premiered in Tasmania in 2027. Through this development phase, the creative team will generate core movement material, musical frameworks, and compositional strategies that will shape the final production in close collaboration with MADE’s Ensemble.
By the conclusion of Stage Two, the partnership between MADE, Van Diemen’s Band, and choreographer Daryl Brandwood will have produced a clearly articulated artistic vision, a tested creative methodology, and a substantial body of original material developed through intensive collaboration between musicians, choreographer, and performers.
These outcomes will enable the project to progress confidently into its final production phase.
The development process will generate new approaches to integrating live Baroque music and contemporary choreography through sustained experimentation and shared creative inquiry. Working directly with Ensemble members, Daryl Brandwood and VDB musicians will refine choreographic and musical structures that reflect both historical knowledge and contemporary practice. These creative insights will strengthen the artistic capacity of all partners and inform future cross-disciplinary work.
Through shared leadership and collaboration, the project will contribute to a more connected and innovative cultural environment. It will deliver the creative clarity, artistic depth, and collaborative infrastructure required to realise a high-quality, nationally relevant production, ensuring the final work is artistically resolved and capable of making a lasting contribution to Tasmania’s cultural life and the Australian performing arts landscape.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $16,530
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| MADE | $8,530 |
| Funding gap | $8,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Professional fee for lead choreographer | $10,000 |
| Accommodation | $3,080 |
| Travel | $1,010 |
| Visiting choreographer | $840 |
| Venue hire | $1,600 |
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