Serena Chalker

Serena is the Director and founding member of Anything Is Valid Dance Theatre (AIVDT). A choreographer, improviser and performer, Serena has worked with Kathryn Puie, Jo Pollitt, Sue Healey, Anton, Alice Lee Holland, Physical TV company, Tristan Sharp (Perth International Arts Festival 2008), The Fondue Set (Sydney Festival First Night 2009), Robyn Orlin and Tasdance with choreographers Gail Mabo, Sthan Kabar-Louet and Trisha Dunn

In 2009 Serena choreographed for and was a principal dancer with Australian electro-pop band Empire Of The Sun, including the video clip of Standing On The Shore, the debut live touring show which was performed nationally at Parklife 09, Foreshore Summer Music Festival, and the 2009 ARIA Awards all of which received rave reviews. Serena has taught and choreographed for the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Tasdance School of Performing Arts, The McDonald College, The Graduate College of Dance, Dance Star in Erskineville, and the Sydney University Movement and Dance Society. Her innovative solo improvisational work As The Thread Unravels was performed at the Putting on An Act Festival “Best of” Gala night in 2009, described by coolperthnights.com as “the first real stroke of brilliance” and a “wonderfully surreal sort of postmodern porridge”.

Performing with AIVDT has taken Serena from a live television audience of over one million viewers, right through to an intimate audience in the laneways of Perth. With AIVDT Serena has performed at the Fairbridge Festival, Joondalup Festival, Femantle Festival, City of Perth Winter Arts Season launch, and Putting on an Act Festival “Best of” Gala night. Serena took part in a two week residency at Hillary’s Boat Harbour, and a four week mentorship and performance season around the Perth CBD under the guidance of Jo Pollitt. AIVDT’s new site specific work UNEXPECTED-microclimates premiered its first stage of development in May 2010 to a sell-out crowd and the full length interdisciplinary performance will be debuting in November.

Quindell Orton

Quindell Orton is the Artistic Program Manager of AIVDT. After dance, ballet and drama at John Curtin College of the Arts, Quindell graduated from WAAPA with a BA (Dance) with Honours. Quindell has worked with artists such as Claudia Alessi, Nanette Hassall, Danielle Micich, Alice Lee Holland, Michael Whaites, Anton, Sue Healey, Olivia Millard, Craig Bary, Rachel Ogle, Jo Pollitt and Chrissie Parrott.

Her solo The Private Public was selected for performance in PICA’s Best of Night for the Putting on an Act Festival while her work Time X, Location Y was performed at PICA for the DASH season. In 2009, Quindell worked with Marnie Orr, investigating body weathering techniques through an intensive movement lab and Media Jam performance at CIA studios. Also during this year she worked with special needs groups through Kensington Secondary School and disability in the arts organisation DADAA and continued her performance work, performing locally and internationally with Link, independently with Rachel Ogle and in Chrissie Parrott’s The Garden.

With AIVDT, Quindell performed in UNEXPECTED-microclimates, undertook a four week improvisation mentorship with Jo Pollitt culminating in a dozen performances of improvisational scores on the streets of Perth and a two week residency in the Joondalup precinct, also designing scores for and performing at, many festivals and events throughout the year. Aside from their improvisation work, with AIVDT, Quindell has danced in Empire of the Sun’s video clip to Standing on the Shore and co-choreographed and directed various flashmobs for the City of Perth including the launch of the Winter Arts Season.

Other Dancers

Anything Is Valid Dance Theatre operates on a project basis, working with a core group of dancers tailored to suit the project. All dancers are highly trained, with a particular interest in improvisation and choreography.

The dancers of Anything Is Valid Dance Theatre wish to acknowledge Olivia Millard for constantly telling the girls that Anything Is Valid so often that it stuck with them and became their mantra. They also wish to acknowledge Jo Pollitt for asking the hard questions, for teaching them that whilst anything is in fact valid and the possibilities are endless, not every choice is a good one and for helping them to make the most of bad decisions!