Adam Wheeler is a Tasmanian born contemporary dance artist. He is an alumni of Stompin and Victorian College of the Arts whose practice is interested in diversifying how dance can be experienced both as a performer and audaicne member. He has invested the better part of his 20-year career developing programs and projects in the pursuit of enhancing how young people connect with dance and enter the professional dance industry in Australia. Adam has been commissioned to make work across the country and has choreographed for Lucy Guerin Inc (Pieces for Small Spaces), Stompin, QL2, Steps Youth Dance Company, fLing Physical Theatre, Tasdance and was a Next Move choreographer for Chunky Move in 2011, creating It Sounds Silly. The success of It Sounds Silly, became the launching pad for Adam to create Yellow Wheel and has only recently stepped down as the Artistic Director. Adam has recently been appointed Artistic Director of Tasdance.
Adam is a kind hearted, funny and warm welcoming person to anyone who he doesn’t personally know. He creates an environment in dance that allows any dancer or any artist to feel comfortable in their own skin and also allows them to push their limits by making them laugh and do occasionally silly warm-ups. For myself as the interviewer, my favourite moments were when Adam talked about his experiences in dance and how they helped him become the person he is today. His answers were very eye-opening for me as a hopeful dancer and allowed me to take a glimpse into the work space of contemporary dance.
You can find a transcript of this interview here.
Text and interview by Paige Carr, who is an Australian Youth Dance Festival, Youth Ambassadors. This season was presented in partnership with Ausdance Victoria, in conjunction with the Australian Youth Dance Festival (AYDF). Youth Ambassadors were mentored in the process of writing and undertaking interviews. Additional episodes feature: Daniel Riley, Anna Kenrick, Adam Rutherford, Cadi McCarthy, Aparna Nagesh, and Isabella Stone. For more information about this special season click here.
