CRITICAL PATH – ANNUAL REPORT 2025

CRITICAL

Critical Path respectfully acknowledges the Birrabirragal and Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land where the organisation is based. We recognise Australia’s First Peoples continuing connection to these lands and acknowledge the elders past and present.

Welcome

Association Information

Operations Report

Statistics Report

Artists

Activities

CRITICAL PATH IS 20!

Artist Picnic

Every Wild Idea Festival

Every Wild Idea

Breakthroughs

Critical Dialogues #16

Vignettes Flickers Fades

RESPONSIVE

Major Responsive Residencies

Experimental Choreographic Program

Create Space

Space Grants

Research Room Residencies

Critical Practice

CURATED

First Nations Led

Physical Futures

Guest Workshops

Lyon Biennale

Dance Curation Lab

MENTORED/EMERGING

Side-Step

Cue Lab

Conclusion

Financial Report

Cover: Every Wild Idea, curated by Azzam Mohamed, featuring Marcus Whale. Photo by Anna Kucera

This year marks 20 years of Critical Path. Reaching this milestone offered an important opportunity to pause, reflect, and take stock of what has been built over two decades. What emerged from that reflection was both affirming and inspiring.

As Australia’s only dedicated centre for choreographic research, our purpose has never felt more relevant or more assured. The confirmation of our Create NSW multi-year funding secures our place in the artistic landscape through to the end of 2028, providing the confidence to plan ambitiously and continue investing in artistic risk and experimentation.

The Drill Hall sits at the centre of this story. Active throughout the year, it continues to serve as a vital place to which artists return at pivotal moments in their practice. During our anniversary celebrations, many reflected on the breakthroughs, unexpected collaborations, and formative discoveries they had experienced there. Two public events framed the year: the Critical Path is 20! Artist Picnic in March and the Every Wild Idea Festival in November,

both made possible through the generous support of Creative Australia, Woollahra Municipal Council, and Create NSW.

Our work continues to extend well beyond our home base. Matt Cornell’s Physical Futures exchange with Taiwan entered its fourth year in partnership with C-LAB, supported by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, and culminated in a season at LiveWorks 2025 at Carriageworks.

Jasmin Sheppard’s Truth Telling Residency evolved into an extended residency that directly supported 2024 Research Resident Ella Havelka. Through the generosity of the Keir Foundation, five Australian artists attended the Lyon Dance Biennale and participated in the new FORUM initiative. Together, these opportunities reflect the breadth and connectivity of our artistic ecology.

The contribution of our Artist Representatives has been exceptional. Lee-Anne Litton brought Contact Improvisation co-founder Nita Little to Sydney for a month of workshops and collaborative research. Azzam Mohamed curated the opening night of Every Wild Idea, opening the Drill Hall to an evening

of spontaneous artistic exchange and experimentation. The presence of artists of this calibre within our Board remains one of Critical Path’s great strengths, ensuring that artistic insight continues to inform our governance and program.

Our auspicing work also delivered significant outcomes. Henrietta Baird’s Plant a Promise was presented as part of Sydney Festival 2025. Deborah May’s Breakthroughs film installation was launched during Every Wild Idea. Matt Cornell’s interdisciplinary project BIO:MASS was developed in partnership with the University of Sydney’s Department of Theatre and Performance Studies. These outcomes demonstrate the value of sustained organisational support across the full arc of artistic development.

Partnerships continue to expand both what we can offer and who we can reach, particularly through the expanded Experimental Choreographic Program with Performance Space and the Create Space Residency with Sydney Opera House.

None of this would be possible without the commitment of our Board, whose steadiness and expertise provide strong governance, and our donors, whose generosity directly sustains artists working at the edge of the form. To those reading as donors, please know that your support makes a tangible and lasting difference. My sincere thanks also go to our Artistic Director, Agnès Michelet, and the dedicated team whose work and care make these achievements possible each day.

Twenty years on, the future of Critical Path is bright.

Adrian Burnett - Chair

ABN AND INCORPORATION NUMBER

ABN: 12 049 903 261

Critical Path Incorporated is an Incorporated Association (NSW) Incorporation Number: INC9881671

REGISTERED OFFICE & PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS

The Drill

1C New Beach Road

Darling Point (Rushcutters Bay) NSW 2027

RESPONSIBLE ENTITIES

Auditors

Lambourne Partners

Public Officer

Agnès Michelet

The Committee members of Critical Path Incorporated present their Report together with the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2025 and the Independent Audit report, covering those financial statements.

The following people were committee members of Critical Path Incorporated during or since the end of the financial year.

There were four general meetings during the year plus the AGM held on 28 April 2025 and a Special Meeting on the 11th of August. The Committee gathered for an in-person Strategic Planning Day on 6 December 2025 facilitated by Anita Jorgensen with a focus on Communications. Meetings during the year and the number of meetings attended by each member are as follows:

Adrian Burnett (Chair)

Jill Brown (Secretary)

Alexio Chibika (Treasurer)

Georgia Shepherd

Azzam

Mohamed (Artist Representative)

Lee-Anne

Litton (Artist Representative)

Tammi Gissell (First Nations Artist Representative)

A: Number of meetings the Committee Member was entitled to attend

B: Number of meetings the Committee Member attended

ADRIAN BURNETT

Chair

Adrian is an Arts Leader with extensive national and international experience, currently serving as Head of Programming at Carriageworks—one of Australia’s leading multi-arts centres in Sydney— since August 2024. He is an awardwinning choreographer and leading Dance Artist with a distinguished career spanning performance, choreography, curation, and arts leadership.

From 2021-2024, Adrian served as Senior Curator of ‘New Annual’, City of Newcastle’s premiere arts and cultural festival, where he delivered three successful festivals, developed strategic direction, and attracted significant box office success and government funding. Under his curation, the festival gained national recognition through its diverse programming that showcased both emerging local talent and established national artists across multiple artforms.

Prior to this, Adrian joined Creative Australia in 2011 and was appointed Director of Dance in 2015. His art-form expertise and national overview informed

grant programs, strategic initiatives, and policy outcomes at the Council for over a decade.

After graduating from The Australian Ballet School, Adrian joined The Australian Ballet where he held prominent artistic roles including Senior Artist, Resident Choreographer, Guest Teacher, and Executive Producer. During this time, he was Guest Artist with Basel Ballet in Switzerland, The National Ballet of Canada, and Scottish Ballet.

As a choreographer, Adrian has been commissioned to create over twenty new ballets for companies including Dutch National Ballet, Houston Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, The Australian Ballet, West Australian Ballet, and Royal New Zealand Ballet. He has worked extensively as a guest ballet master with international companies, including staging seminal works by Glen Tetley and Twyla Tharp for the Scottish Ballet’s season at the Edinburgh International Arts Festival.

JILL BROWN

Secretary

Jill Brown is an independent communications specialist and editor, and a writer who specialises in dance. She has an MPhil in Creative Writing (UQ). For her thesis she wrote a relational biography of Margot Fonteyn, Sylvie Guillem and Misty Copeland. She has served in leadership positions in trade and educational publishing and digital media. As well as serving on the board of Critical Path as Secretary, she has been a member of the board of Writers Victoria. She was recently appointed the CEO of Writers Victoria.

ALEXIO CHIBIKA

Treasurer

Alexio is a Chartered Accountant with extensive audit experience in an international audit firm across five countries. He is currently a Senior Audit Manager and is responsible for the audits of large-listed and multinational organisations. He has experience in Audit, Financial Management, Corporate Governance, Internal controls and Financial Reporting. He has also volunteered as Treasurer for various Not-for-profit entities.

LEE-ANNE LITTON

Artist Representative

Lee-Anne Litton is a New South Walesbased multidisciplinary artist working across performance, choreography, aerial practice, and physical theatre. Originally from Perth, Western Australia, her creative practice is deeply informed by Contact Improvisation and the intelligence of the moving body. LeeAnne is known for her expertise in aerial performance, with a focus on elastic rope, harness-based flight, and static apparatuses. Her choreographic work and performances have featured in large-scale productions across Australia and internationally, in collaboration with acclaimed companies including Stalker Theatre, Legs on the Wall, and her own ensemble, Strings Attached.

Improvisation is central to her artistic approach—whether grounded in Contact Improvisation or airborne in aerial forms— guiding both her creative processes and performance-making. Passionate about nurturing emerging talent, Lee-Anne is an experienced educator, regularly teaching at institutions such as NAISDA Dance College, Sydney Dance Company’s Pre-Professional Year (SDC-PPY), AMPA, high schools, and through professional company classes.

AZZAM MOHAMED

Artist Representative

Azzam, also known as Shazam, is a dancer, performer, and educator from Sudan. Azzam’s dance practice encompasses a range of styles, from traditional cultural dance through to hip hop styles, he brings these forms together to create a breathtaking original dance fusion that echoes his history and at the same time showcases his incredible ability as a dancer. Azzam’s dance practice involves teaching at studios and festivals, performing and touring in stage shows, competing in dance competitions and judging, organizing events, facilitating workshops, and mentoring and coaching young and emerging Australian dancers. Azzam’s works have been presented in Sydney Festival 2024/25/26 and tour internationally.

TAMMI GISSELL

First Nations Artist Representative

Tammi is the Collections Access Coordinator, First Nations at The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, NSW. She is a Muruwarri-Wiradjuri woman born in North-West NSW. Tammi is also a performer, poet, performance theorist, choreographer, researcher and writer; having performed, lectured and consulted regionally, nationally and internationally across the spectrum of contemporary & contemporary-Indigenous performance since 1996.

VICTORIA HOUSTON Member

Victoria Houston is a lawyer and a Business Affairs Lead at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation where she negotiates television and audio production deals. Previously Victoria was the National Industrial Officer for Actors Equity (MEAA) for many years where she worked closely with dancers from Sydney Dance Company, The Australian Ballet and Opera Australia negotiating their collective bargaining agreements and recording and broadcasting deals. She has also worked at the Arts Law Centre of Australia advising artists and for 21 years has had a side hustle ushering at the Sydney Opera House. Victoria is passionate about the Arts, especially dance in all its forms.

GEORGIA SHEPERD

Member

Georgia Shepherd is a former professional dancer with The Queensland Ballet and Graeme Murphy’s Sydney Dance Company. She has produced and directed dance shows for children, and supported choreographers and independent artists as rehearsal director, collaborator, teacher, advisor and mentor. Georgia also has extensive business experience. After running her own family-owned and hatted restaurant for 11 years, she now works as a business development and fundraising executive, helping arts

organisations to diversify their income streams and build engaged and effective support networks to enable their mission.

SERENA CHALKER

Member

Serena is an experienced festival and events director, arts leader and choreographer with expertise in events, live music, dance and interdisciplinary performance. She is the Executive Producer Creative Activations at Inner West Council events and came to Council in 2022 with a 16-year career as an award-winning and critically acclaimed independent artist and co-director of Anything Is Valid Dance Theatre. She currently leads a team of 5 producers to deliver Council’s dynamic program of more than 40 annual creative festivals, events and activations across the Inner West by inspiring, showcasing and empowering the local community.

Prior to her career in Local Government, Serena produced and presented her own artistic work both in Australia and internationally as well as working with some of Australia’s leading arts companies, including as the Interim Artistic Director of STRUT Dance where she pioneered the inaugural mid-career artist development program.

In 2025, all Committee members continued on the Board, at the exception of Tammi Gissell who resigned on the 29th of October. Tammi keeps contributing as artist to Critical Path activities, notably its First Nations-led program. She also directed multiple site-specific festivals in partnership with Tura New Music. Previously she worked with Sydney Improvised Music Association producing the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival, Berry Jazz Festival and the Freedman Fellowship Awards. She has presented her own artistic works in Korea, Finland, Germany, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Croatia, Canada, Singapore and across Australia.

CHANGES TO THE GOVERNING COMMITTEE

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

STAFFING NOTES

2025 marked the start of a restructure to address rising wages in the face of ongoing inflation and Critical Path’s commitment to reduce wages gap between executive and management staff.

Agnès Michelet remained as Artistic Director/CEO (engaged in April 2023) on standstill salary.

In early 2025, Holly Morrison stepped in as Finance Manager for a month, working one day a week remotely from Victoria. Critical Path’s Treasurer introduced Critical Path to Melbourne-based Audry Ndarukwa who kindly accepted to be contracted as Critical Path accountant until Su Goldfish took on the position in August. Su Goldfish has since transformed our operational accounting procedures. We thank Su Goldfish for her exceptional contribution to our operations.

Lizzie Thomson, a long lasting and highly respected artist in the dance community, took on the position of Producer in January. The position was increased from 0.6 to 0.8 FTE, the annual wage from 70K to 80K pro rata. Her joining Critical Path has lifted the organisation profile in the community. This was particularly evident as we celebrated our 20th anniversary. Ira Ferris was invited for a very short while to step in the Artistic Director’s role in June whilst Agnes Michelet was on leave overseas.

Jasmin Sheppard continued as First Nations Artist Curator (0.25 FTE allowing time for her being commissioned by ADT and Catapult Dance to create new works). Jasmin was also appointed Dance Practice Lead at NAISDA.

Matt Cornell continued as Digital Artist Curator on a project-based basis to oversee and lead the Australia-Taiwan Digital Exchange, Physical Futures (Yr 4 in 2025). Thanks to successful Creative Australia funding, Matt was engaged for most of the second half of 2025, on a part time to full time basis. Matt was also engaged as venue manager 1 day a week over the year, securing a steady income whilst producing the season of Body Data Loop as part of LiveWorks 2025.

Contracts with Webgirl (Web support) and Qbt Consulting (IT support) continued across the year. We wish to extend our special thanks to Ehau Cheah of Qbt for his ongoing support and contribution to our organisation.

Auditor: Following the 2025 AGM of the 28th of April, Lambourne Partners was appointed to be Critical Path 2025 Auditor. We are pleased to re-engage with a NSWbased business with a clear understanding of small to medium arts organisations.

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES

Critical Path is a leading Australian centre for choreographic research and development operating as a not-for-profit. Our home is the Drill, a large rehearsal space situated on the shores of Rushcutters Bay on Gadigal and Birrabirragal land, Sydney, Australia.

We play a pivotal role in supporting choreographers to explore new ways of working through extended periods of research that foster creative risk taking, so that excellent new work can make it to our stages. We believe encouraging and respecting a diversity of people and practice is vital to the future of dance and choreography.

With our distinct focus on research and innovation, we aim to nourish a genuinely independent dance community as they push the boundaries of existing practice in relation to local and international fields, enhancing the vibrancy of the Australian dance sector.

OPERATING RESULT

Critical Path was successful in garnering exceptional support to celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2025. Consequently, we have been able to secure a significant surplus which will crucially support our commitment to resume our offering of supported residencies in 2026/2027. The net surplus for the year amounted to $39,356 (2024: $5,837).

2025 ARTISTIC PROGRAM FUNDING

Create NSW

In 2025, we continued to be supported by Create NSW with multi-year funding (2021-2024), extended until the end of 2025; $280,000 per annum to cover the period January through to December each year. This is a standstill figure and has been since 2012. Critical successfully secured another 3-year funding agreement of $280,000 per annum for 2026-2028, noting that Critical Path will no longer be eligible for Project funding according to the new Create NSW Arts and Cultural funding framework. As a Multi-Year funded organisation, Critical Path was offered an additional $40,000 under the Create NSW’s Strategic Investment and one-off programs initiative.

Australia (former Australia Council)

Local

Woollahra Municipal Council continues to license the Drill to Critical Path with use of the Hall and an office.

We were successful with receiving $7,500 through the Woollahra Grants Program for Every Wild Idea and $10,000 through the Woollahra Sponsorship Program for Critical Path is 20! Artist Picnic.

International

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Sydney, contributed funding via Performance Space to support the Taiwanese artists travelling to Sydney for the LiveWorks season of I remember what the machine remembers what I remember :

curated by Matt Cornell (Physical Futures exchange Year 4).

Partners

KEIR FOUNDATION TRAVEL FELLOWSHIP BIENNALE DANSE LYON 2025

The Keir Foundation contributed $25,000 towards supporting five Australian choreographers (Raghav Handa, Sandra Parker, Joel Bray, Melanie Lane, Feras Shaheen) to attend the inaugural FORUM coordinated by Angela Conquet as part of the Lyon Dance Biennale in September 2025.

ALEXANDRA & LLOYD MARTIN FOUNDATION

Contributed $15,000 towards Deborah May’s screen installation Breakthroughs, featuring five choreographers marking 20 years of Critical Path, Ros Crisp, Rhiannon Newton, Martin del Amo, Henrietta Baird and Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal.

We are also grateful for our longstanding partnership with Performance Space which provides in-kind and cash support to our joint program, the Experimental Choreographic Program now in its 10th year. We are also grateful for the renewed confidence of Sydney Opera House to include Critical Path as one of their four Create Space residency partners.

Other

Other income was generated through:

Donations

$1,613 (consisting of individual donations)

$23,395 (subsidised rehearsal and development hire for performing arts artists/ companies and independent makers- They included Shaun Parker Company, Pinchgut Opera, Shadow Yoga, Soul Voice International, Lee-Anne Litton, Peter Banki, Lindy Davies, Stiliana Alfred, FORM Dance Projects, Performance Space, Healthy Moves Therapy, Maeve Dermody and Emma Riches).

Other direct in-kind

Interests

Sundries

Auspice

Mainly in-kind space offered to dance companies and practitioners. Our in-kind contribution to artists keeps growing, reaching over $90,000 this year.

$13,972, higher in 2025 thanks to higher rates from term deposits.

A combination of membership fees and workshop income, a large portion redistributed to lead artists.

Critical Path ended its auspicing of First Nations artist, Henrietta Baird, for the development, production and presentation of Plant a Promise supported by a 2023 Australia Council grant of $49,568, a 2023 Create NSW grant $52,600 as well as Carriageworks First Nations Fellowship of $50 000 over two years (2023-2024). The grants were expended by the end of January 2025 following the successful inclusion of Plant a Promise in Sydney Festival 2025. Whilst all grants have been expended and acquitted, unexpended amounts from sales are kept for the artist to decide upon their future use.

Critical Path auspiced two successful grants in 2025. Breakthroughs (Create NSW) contributing to Critical Path 20th anniversary celebrations and BIO:MASS (Creative Australia) contributing to sustaining the career of Critical Path artist-curator Matt Cornell.

Critical Path welcomes the opportunity of auspicing project grants which relate directly or indirectly to its program and/or sustain the creative output of artists supported through our program.

Venue Hire

Donations

We very much thank all our donors who have supported our program this year including our longstanding donor Peter Bryant, Adrian Burnett, Brian Fuata, Caite Adamek, Clare Grant, Dylan Goh, Georgia Shepherd, Jill Brown, Karen Kerkhoven, Laura Osweiler, Lian Loke, Lucy Meredith, Mirabelle Wouters, Nalina Wait, Rosalind Richards, Sandy Collins and Serena Chalker.

YEAR ON YEAR OVERVIEW

OVERALL ENGAGEMENT

342 Total artists engagement (296 Unique- 201 in 2024)

334 Total participants in workshops

193 Total artists applying to our programs (159 in 2024)

1,943 Total live audience (971 in 2024)

Including 500 LiveWorks (I remember what the machine remembers I remember performances and talk)

1,731 Digital readership of resourcesreports, Critical Dialogues, e-journals (1,609 in 2024)

79,620 Online readership including resources from website, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, Mailchimp newsletter (64,338 in 2024)

144 Website downloads (419 in 2024)

14,208 New Website visitors (8,800 in 2024)

47,000 Total pageviews3 on website (16,343 in 2023)

190 Activities, including:

36 Space grants

17 Development Residencies

22 Research Room Residencies

13 Workshops/labs

9 Talks

41 Critical Practice sessions

39 Public offerings (performances, sharings)

3 Publications (We Create Safe Spaces report, Critical Dialogues #16, Vignettes Flickers Fades sound montage)

10 Hires

Representing 98 Unique projects.

ARTISTS INVOLVED IN CRITICAL

PATH 2025

Our focus is on those who identify as having and/or are connected with choreographic practice. The 296 unique artists Critical Path hosted in the Drill Hall and/or worked with in 2025 are listed below.

Adalene Williams

Adam Warburton

Adrianne Semmens

Agustin Elaskar

Alana Yee

Aleisa Jelbart

Alejandro Rolando

Alessandra Massi

Alex Abbot

Alex Craig

Alex Harrison

Alexandra Spence

Ali Graham

Alice Collins

Amelia O’Leary

Amy Flannery

Anastasia Vogelsang

Anastassia Korolev

Anca Frankenhaeuser

Andrea Adidi

Andrew Batt-Rawden

Andrew Morrish

Andrew O’Connor

Angel Tan

Angela Goh

Angelica Osuji

Angie Concubierta

Angus Onley

Anick Patry

Anna Fraser

Anna McCulla

Annalouise Paul

Annie Mokotow

Anthony Mackey

Aroha Pehi

Ashleigh Veitch

Ashley Zhu

Avalon Ormiston

Azzam Mohamed

Bai Lee

Bek Berger

Bek Lyons

Beks Blake

Bella Ciappara

Benjamin Hancock

Benjamin Hurley

Benjamin Walsh

Bianca Yeung

Bonnie Curtis

Brianna Kell

Carmel O’Beirne

Cassidy McDermott-Smith

Cathy-Di Zhang

Catie Cowan

Celeste Lazarenko

Chandler Connell

Charlotte Whelan

Chloe Chignell

Chloe Jarvela

Chloe Ogilvie

Chris Alfred

Chris McCallister

Christopher Verheyden

Cicia Wang

Clarence Slockee

Coti Cibils

Dalia Nassar

Danica Lani

Daniela Zambrano

Danika Armytage

Dar-Kuen Wu

David Orlowsky

Dean Elliot

Deborah May

DJ Gemma

Dwayne Lawler

Eden Shifroni

Eden Swan

Eileen Kramer

Eisa Jocson

Elisio Florio

Eliza Cooper

Ella Havelka

Ella Watson-Heath

Ellen Macleay

Em Yali

Emma Harrison

Emma Riches

Emma Saunders

Emma-May Gibson

Eric Avery

Erica Dixon

Erin Helyard

Eugene Lynch

Evie Morwood

Felicity Ng

Feras Shaheen

Frankie Clarke

Franky Drousioti

Gabriela Green Olea

Gabriela Quinsacara

Gail Priest

Gareth Davies

Gideon Peyton-Griffiths

Giovanna Yate

Gok Lim

Grace Fuz

Grace White

Harlisha Newie-Joe

Harpreet Kalsi

Helene Markstein

Henrietta Baird

Hini Hanara

Hong Yu Wong

Hoyori Maruo

Imanuel Dado

Imogen Yang

Iqbal Barkat

Ira Ferris

Isabella Milkovitsch

Ishvara Devati

Ivo Dimchev

Jacinta Mullen

Jack Tuckerman

Jackson Garcia

Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal

Jairo Bonilla

James Batchelor

Jamie James

Jane McKernan

Jaslyn Boughton

Jasmin Sheppard

Jayde Readman

Jean-Bernard Marie

Jess Aszodi

Jess Fitzpatrick

Joel Bray

Joel Fenton

Jorvn Jones

Josh Freedman

Joshua Di Mattina-Beven

Joshua Doctor

Joshua Staines

Julian Chan

Julian Hamman

Julie-Anne Long

Juliet Widyasari Burnett

Kanen Breen

Karen Kerkhoven

Karen Nolan

Karen Norris

Karina Schelde

Karra Nam

Katina Olsen

Katya Petetskaya

Kaz Therese

Keara Donohoe

Keila de Terencio

Keira Garland

Keiynan Lonsdale

Kelsey Dell

Kerri Clarke

Kiki Rahmatika Syaher

Kim Laurie Jacobs

Kino McHugh

Ko Yamada

Lara Week

Laura Osweiler

Laurence Pike

Layla Meadows

Lee Wilson

Lee-Anne Litton

Leighanne Kowalsky

Lian Loke

Libby Montilla

Linda Dement

Linda Luke

Lissa Kadamani

Liz Ham

Lizzie Thomson

Lochie Odgers

Louie Wisby

Louis Hurley

Lucky Lartey

Lucy Doherty

Lucy Parakhina

Luke Fischer

Maddie Loughhead

Madeleine Backen

Madeline Harms

Malachi Sylvester

Marcus Whale

Maree Clarke

Marian Abboud

Martin del Amo

Matt Cornell

Matt Scullino

Matthew Doyle

Matthew Marshall

Melanie Gillbank

Melanie Lane

Melody Rachel

Mercedes Dunn

Merinda Davies

Ming-Chieh Lee

Mirabelle Wouters

Mitchell Christie

Me-Lee Hay

Moe Clarke

Morgan Balfour

Morgan Moroney

Morgan Pearse

Nadiya Akbar

Naomi Belet

Naomi Reichardt

Nasim Patel

Natalia Machado

Natalie Tso

Nathan Leslie

Netia Jones

Niamh O’Sullivan

Nicholas Dinopoulos

Nicholas Hovington

Nick Power

Nick Vagne

Niki Verrall

Nikki Heywood

Nisa East

Nita Little

Nuria Rodriguez Riestra

Olivia Payne

Oscar Jones Romeo

Patricia Wood

Patrick O’Luanaigh

Paul Walker

Peter Banki

Peter Lenaerts

Peter Trotman

Phaedra Brown

Priyanka Martin

Raghav Handa

Reina Takeuchi

Remy Rochester

Rena Sangawa

Renata Commisso

Rhee Duthie

Rhiannon Newton

Riley Fitzgerald

Robbie Varga

Romain Hassanin

Rosalind Crisp

Roslyn Orlando

Rudolf Hendrikx

Ryuichi Fujimura

Sabrina Muszynski

Sam James

Samuel Beazley

Sandra Parker

Sarah Kalule

Sebastian Maclaine

Shannon Burns

Shaun Parker

Shelley Lasica

Siobhan Lynch

Skye Gellman

Solomon Thomas

Sophie Dumaresq

Stefan Hunt

Stiliana Alfred

Sue Healey

Taiga Kita Leong

Tammi Gissell

Tara Robertson

Tay Haggarty

Texas Nixon-Kain

Tim Bishop

Tobiah Booth-Remmers

Tomoko Takehara

Tony Osborne

Tony Yap

Tui Davidson

Ubay Alexander

Vanessa Marian

Veronica Neave

Vicki Van Hout

Victoria Hunt

Victoria Spence

Virginia Kennard

WeiZen Ho

William Bullock

Yilin Kong

Zachary Lopez

Zain El-Roubaei

Zhee Lin

Zi-Ping Tian

Zoe Wozniak

ARTIST DEMOGRAPHICS

Our 296 unique artists represent diverse backgrounds and identities::

First Nations Australian artists

artists from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds artists with disability

artists

CRITICAL PATH IS 20!

Thanks to successful funding from Creative Australia, Create NSW and Woollahra Municipal Sponsorship and Community Grants program, Critical Path was able to celebrate its 20-year milestone with flying colours. Celebrations bookended the year, first in March with a special edition of the Artist Picnic, then in November with a new festival and concept Every Wild Idea. All projects demonstrated how much artists value the organisation’s mission and the Drill Hall where a generation’s memories are held. The events constituted the core of Critical Path public program in the Drill Hall.

CRITICAL PATH IS 20! ARTIST PICNIC

Saturday 8 March

The Artist Picnic was initiated in 2024 as a way of inviting the community and neighbourhood for a free relaxed weekend day. As in 2024, the event brought together over 30 artists for a suite of talks, performances and “stand-up and dance” invitations by Critical Path Artist Representatives.

Lee-Anne Litton started the proceedings with a warm-up in the morning. Alexandra Harrison, now based in Victoria, gave a splendid keynote address echoing her Critical Path 2010 research residency “What’s Coming”.

Performances by Ryuichi Fujimura, Matt Cornell with Nasim Patel, and Keila Terencio de Paula followed.

Critical Dialogues editor and former Critical Path Producer, Ira Ferris, facilitated a talk with NSW seminal choreographers Martin del Amo, Raghav Handa and Jane McKernan. Vicki Van Hout was commissioned to record a poem which resonated in the Drill Hall for all to listen to.

Top: Ryuichi Fujimura, Bottom (left to right) Ira Ferris, Jane McKernan, Martin del Amo, Raghav Handa. Stills from videography by Deborah May

EVERY WILD IDEA FESTIVAL

14-16 November

Across the weekend, a number of projects were premiered, allowing audiences and residents to discover new artists, meet old acquaintances, see the Drill Hall under a new light, connect with the rich choreographic history of Critical Path and the artists who made it. For the first time, Critical Path was able to engage a publicist, Emma Collison. Lighting designer and production manager Frankie Clarke brought her creative spark to the Drill Hall. Intern Allison Foley supported community outreach and volunteered on the opening night alongside three AMPA volunteer students, Kelly Nai, Àngela Collado Such and Nicole Su alongside RSA licensed Chloe Thomson.

The program featured:

• A new performance concept reflecting Critical Path commitment to process and ideas curated by Azzam Mohamed for the opening night giving the name to the festival, Every Wild Idea.

• A large film installation, Breakthroughs, by Deborah May capturing five choreographers in their moment of breakthroughs experienced during their time in residence with Critical Path.

• The launch of Critical Dialogues #16, Two decades of choreographic enquiry, edited by Ira Ferris.

• Vignette, Flickers, Fades a sound archive created by Ira Ferris with sound design by Alexandra Spence.

Over 200 people attended the festival with a notable number of Woollahra residents discovering for the first time Critical Path and the Drill Hall since being transformed in a dance space after the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

EVERY WILD IDEA curated by Azzam Mohamed. Photo by Anna Kucera.

EVERY WILD IDEA curated by Azzam Mohamed featuring Amy Flannery (left) and Remy Rochester (right).

Photo by Anna Kucera.

EVERY WILD IDEA

Curated by Azzam Mohamed Friday 14 November, 7-9pm

In the spirit of experimentation, research and risk-taking, seven artists were invited to take part in a ‘mini-residency challenge’. The artists were randomly assigned a space and a provocation from an artist engaged in Critical Path’s past programs. Audiences were free to roam and witness artists transforming the Drill Hall into a live choreographic lab, getting a glimpse into what the next 20 years might hold…

The invited artists were Amy Flannery, Jackson Garcia, Amelia O’Leary, Angelica Osuji, Gabriela Quinsacara, Remy Rochester and Marcus Whale.

The evening culminated in all artists coming together and taking turns in directing each other “on the spot’, highlighting the unique skills of each artists’ dance style and training.

EVERY WILD IDEA curated by Azzam Mohamed featuring Amy Flannery (above) and Jackson Garcia (opposite page).

Photo by Anna Kucera.

BREAKTHROUGHS

A multi-screen installation celebrating 20 years of choreographic adventures at Critical Path, by Deborah May.

Saturday 15 November, 11am-3pm & Sunday 16 November 1pm-3pm

Inspired by Ros Crisp’s work “the time it takes” Breakthroughs was born from conversations with film-maker Deborah May leading to her creating a remarkable multi-screen installation, capturing choreographers at work as they recall their moments of “breakthroughs”.

The featured choreographers were Henrietta Baird, Rhiannon Newton, Ros Crisp, Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal and Martin del Amo who also acted as dramaturg. Gail Priest worked on the sound design and Sam James as camera operator. Frankie Clarke contributed as lighting designer.

The development and editing of the work took place between June and October.

Deborah May invited emerging artist Joshua Di Mattina-Beven to be an intern for the project. Joshua collated his reflections from rehearsals in a piece of writing “Broken notes” which he offered to read out loud in the Research Room whilst the installation was on in the Drill Hall. This was an outstanding addition to the Breakthroughs experience.

A talk was programmed during the day with Deborah May, Rhiannon Newton, Martin del Amo and Joshua Di Mattina-Beven.

Breakthroughs was made possible thanks to Create NSW project funding auspiced by Critical Path and support by the Alexandra & Lloyd Martin Foundation.

“Dance is an elusive artform that’s not easily translatable onto the flat screen of film and yet here in Breakthroughs, dance’s liveness, musicality and manylayered presence appear magnified. There are moments where the dancers seem to explode into the real space and be with us in real time.”

- Lizzie Thomson, artist, producer

Breakthroughs by Deborah May. Photo by Anna Kucera.

CRITICAL DIALOGUES #16 TWO DECADES OF CHOREOGRAPHIC ENQUIRY

Edited by Ira Ferris

Sunday 16 November 11am-1pm

A talk between Tammi Gissell and Ira Ferris introduced the publication and the archival research underpinning this edition. Two performances followed, by Alexandra Spence and Ryuichi Fujimura.

The launch culminated with the offering of a magnificent birthday cake from Renaissance.

Weaved through the edition is Ira Ferris’ experimental archive project which collages voices of eleven choreographers with a past experience in the Drill Hall. The artists featured are Patricia Wood, Angela Goh, Rhiannon Newton, Lizzie Thomson, Vicki Van Hout, Linda Luke, Martin del Amo, Nikki Heywood, Ryuichi Fujimura, Victoria Hunt and Jane McKernan. The project translated into a sound montage in collaboration with sound artist Alexandra Spence. In addition, a map of the Drill Hall was drawn by Elia Bosshard guiding those listening to the sound montage in the space.

Contributions to Critical Dialogues #16 were made by artists Nikki Heywood, Gail Priest, Alexandra Harrison, WeiZen Ho, Lizzie Thomson, Tammi Gissell, Julie-Anne Long, and Vicki Van Hout alongside inaugural, former and current Directors respectively Sophie Travers, Claire Hicks and Agnès Michelet.

Vignettes, Flickers, Fades combined with Critical Dialogues #16 form a precious archival resource not only for Critical Path but for the NSW dance community.

Critical Dialogues # 16 was printed in 250 hard copies. It was also published online as previous editions. Hard copies can be ordered for the cost of postage from Critical Path website.

The publication was supported by Creative Australia whilst Vignettes, Flickers, Fades received support from Woollahra Municipal Council.

EVERY WILD IDEA, Critical Dialogues #16 Launch. Photo by Lucy Parakhina.

EVERY WILD IDEA, Critical Dialogues #16 Launch. Photo by Lucy Parakhina.

RESPONSIVE

A- MAJOR RESEARCH RESIDENCIES

In 2025, Critical Path made the difficult decision to halt the offering of Major Research Residencies facing the uncertainty of project funding to secure the delivery of the 20th anniversary program. By mid-year, those projects were successfully funded and delivered in the second half of the year, securing other sources of income to artists.

Critical Path will resume the offer of Major Research Residencies in 2026 in line with its 2025-2028 Strategic Plan which underpins its Create NSW Multi-Year funding.

These residencies are core to Critical Path’s mission to support artists in their early explorations of ideas, process or practice development without a pre-determined outcome. Research residencies are not available for creative development of new work, though they may allow early terrain explorations into particular ideas and interests. They are however crucial in laying sound foundations for new work.

The 2023/2024 former residents kept informing the 2025 program, including Helene Markstein (2023 Regional Action Research Fellow) who was invited to be our Create Space 2025 resident, Paul Walker (2024 Research Resident) appointed Artist-Curator to participate in the Dance Curation Lab, Victoria Hunt (2024 Research Resident) successfully offering Critical Practice series and workshop across 2025, Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal (2023 Regional Action Research Fellow) invited to be one of the five choreographers featured in Breakthroughs, Keila Terencio de Paula (2024 Research Resident) selected to participate in the Experimental Choreographic Lab 2025.

Experimental Choreographic Residency. Ishvara Devati (left) and Juliet Widyasari Burnett (right).

Photo by Liz Ham, courtesy of Performance Space.

B-EXPERIMENTAL CHOREOGRAPHIC PROGRAM (ECP)

17 March – 12 April 2025

The ECP has become a core feature of our artistic program now taking one full month of the Drill Hall activities. The Experimental Lab was extended from one to two weeks in its second year. The success of the program is very much a testimony of the strength of our partnership with Performance Space. Whilst welcoming interdisciplinary explorations, the program supports artists anchored in choreographic practice.

PS provides invaluable fee, producing and production support whilst CP contributes space, marketing and hosting support in-kind.

PS/CP received 64 applications for the program including 33 from NSW, 15 from interstate and 16 from overseas, many ineligible since we restricted international applications to New Zealand only.

The residency continues to support one artist with a two-week residency at the Drill Hall with a stipend of $8000 culminating in an industry sharing.

The lab invites five NSW artists selected from the Residency applicants by a panel constituted of Performance Space and Critical Path staff with mentor Victoria Hunt. The artists are invited to work on an idea towards a public ticketed showing at the end of the two weeks mentored and facilitated by Victoria Hunt. The one to two-week expansion followed feedback from 2024 to give more time to the artists to experiment. The stipend of $1000 however remained which limited artists’ availability. The stipend will be readjusted to $2000 in 2026 with additional cash support from Critical Path.

In 2025 the Experimental Residency recipient was Juliet Widyasari Burnett (Qld) working with Balinese artist Ishvara Devati, produced by Michaela Coventry. As part of their residency, they offered a 4-hour workshop on 24 March which eight participants attended. Their well-attended showing took place on Friday 28 March.

The selected artists for the lab were: Emma May Gibson, Sarah Kalule, Keila Terencio de Paula, Kino McHugh and Mitchell Christie.

The Lab culminated in a sold out site-specific showing open to the public at a low-price ticket ($12 to $15) on Saturday 12 April. Both program components were professionally documented with photography supported by Performance Space.

2024 ECL recipient, Rhiannon Newton, had her work presented by Performance Space as part of LiveWorks 2025 as a result of her inclusion of the program. Emma Maye Gibson was also selected by Performance Space to be their 2025 Experimental Performance Fellow.

Experimental Choreographic Lab Showing. Welcome to Country by Dr Peter McKenzie.

Photo by Liz Ham, courtesy of Performance Space.

Experimental Choreographic Residency. Ishvara Devati (left) and Juliet Widyasari Burnett (right). Photo by Liz Ham, courtesy of Performance Space.

Experimental Choreographic Lab Showing featuring Mitchell Christie (right) and Kino McHugh (left).

Photo by Liz Ham, courtesy of Performance Space.

C- CREATE SPACE

TREMOR2 by Helene Markstein

25-31 August

Create Space is Critical Path partnership with Sydney Opera House focused on supporting artists with a lived experience of disability. Following the inaugural recipient Alex Craig in 2024, we invited Helene Markstein, our 2023 regional fellow, to be the Create Space artist of 2025.

Create Space offers a financially supported residency in the Centre of Creativity of Sydney Opera House for up to two weeks.

Helene Markstein kept developing her research Tremor taking queues from her personal experience with Parkinson’s disease to translate movements into dance scores and vocabularies.

TREMOR2 was developed in collaboration with artist Anca Frankenhaeuser, musician and composer Me-Lee Hay and videographer William R. Bullock.

The residency concluded in a very well attended sharing with the work begging for future opportunities to be shared with a broader audience.

Tremor2 by Helene Markstein featuring Anca Frankenhaeuser. Photo by Cassandra Hannagan, courtesy of Sydney Opera House.

D- SPACE GRANTS

Critical Path streamlines its call so that artists may develop an idea through three lines of support: space in the Drill, study/preparation in the Research Room, research by practice with Critical Practice.

Two EOI calls were made, one per semester. We were assisted by Angela Goh to select artists for the Recharge space grants in winter (one-week long residencies). Residencies address multiple needs from allowing artists and/or collectives to test their collaborative ideas to enabling artists to “tune up” their bodies, from rehearsals to sharings, at times partnering with fellow dance organisations (Angela Goh with ReadyMade Works during their space renovations, Daniela Zambrano with FORM Dance Projects to present her work as part of Duels). In addition, we have granted space to artists on a need-basis whenever the Drill Hall was available, in between projects and hire, to ensure this most valuable asset to the community is used to its full capacity.

Emma Saunders and the We Are Here company were resident of the Drill Hall with weekly Tuesday evening sessions throughout the year in-between hires and projects.

We offered 36 space grants in 2025 including two residencies in partnership with the MARCS Institute (Western Sydney University). Lee-Anne Litton and Avalon Ormiston were our MARCS 2025 residents.

Beneficiaries included in alphabetical order Annalouise Paul (with Sydney Jewish Museum), Angela Goh (with ReadyMade Works), Ashleigh Veitch, Cassidy McDermott, Daniela Zambrano, Eliza cooper, Emma Saunders, Eric Avery, Ira Ferris, Kaz Therese, Laura Osweiler, Louie Wisby, Lucy Doherty, Madeleine Backen, Nasim Patel, Natalie Quan Yau Tso, Patricia Wood, Reina Takeuchi, Remy Rochester, Rhiannon Newton, Sabrina Muszynski, Sarah Kalule, Shelley Lasica, Skye Gellman (with Branch Nebula), Texas Nixon-Chain and Nikki Verrall, Tobiah Booth-Remmers.

“I

found it very grounding to reconnect with Critical Path after many years of not being being in its studio. I could feel a sense of community build by being there. Through these programs and the workshops that are being run at Critical Path at the moment it really highlights the important role CP has in supporting the independent sector of makers in Sydney.”

- Madeleine Backen

Recharge Space Grant 2025. Siobhan Lynch and Benjamin Hancock Berlin Concerto Project Sue Healey. Photo by Sue Healey.

Gok-Lim Finch and Sophie Dumaresq during the FORBIDDEN development at Critical Path in 2025 with Lucy Doherty, Eden Swan, Tay Haggarty and AnSo. Photographer Estelle Yoon. Photo courtesy of Lucy Doherty.

E- RESEARCH ROOM RESIDENCIES

Research Room Residencies are non-financial residencies designed to support project development and scholarly research by offering up to two months of office space and equipment, in the Drill Hall. Residencies were offered all year round. This program is offered through support by Woollahra Municipal Council.

In 2025, twelve Research Room residencies were granted to: Alana Yee, Chloe Chignell, Daniela Zambrano, Eliza Cooper, Grace White, Ira Ferris, Layla Meadows, Madeleine Backen, Nuria Rodriguez Riestra, Phaedra Brown, Sabrina Muszynski and Sarah Kalule.

“I think the research residency is a gem, just having a room for thinking in a context where people are working with dance is really valuable, and everything was made easy and welcoming.”

- Nuria Rodriguez Riestra

F- CRITICAL PRACTICE

Initiated in late 2024 with Victoria Hunt, Critical Practice continued to be tested in 2025. For some the opportunity of inviting a small number of participants to their practice was enough to make the series a positive experience, if not financially rewarding. For others, the series is an opportunity to sustain and grow their community through teaching (butoh for Dwayne Lawler). The initiative rarely covers the teaching costs, however its risk-free nature allows for a “giving-it-a-go” which can yield other benefits to the artist as they develop their projects. Victoria Hunt’s series keep attracting the largest number of participants.

Critical Practice lead artists in 2025 were Dwayne Lawler, Eliza Cooper, Lee-Anne Litton, Lian Loke, Peter Banki and Victoria Hunt.

Two series were cancelled due to lack of participants (Reina Takeuchi and Andrew Batt Rawden), indicating that the series work best for artists with an existing following for the specific area of practice they wish to explore with participants.

“The Critical Practice Series was a wonderful opportunity to share the improvisational methods I had been researching during my residency at Critical Path. Sharing it with others and receiving their contributions and feedback allowed me to refine how I understood the methods and learn more about how they function.”

- Louie Wisby

CURATED

A- FIRST NATIONS LED – Artist Curator Jasmin Sheppard

In its third year, the program keeps growing in strength thanks to Jasmin Sheppard’s dedication to contribute to First Nations artists and their choreographic practice. Support from Creative Australia allowed her Truth Telling program to include a Truth Telling Development Residency in addition to the initial Research Residency. The development residency is a formidable opportunity to keep the collective of artists selected for the program to exchange and support each other.

Truth Telling Research Residency 25-31 August & 10-16 September

Erica Dixon, a NAISDA Graduate, was the 2025 recipient of the Truth Telling research residency following Ella Havelka in 2024 and Henrietta Baird in 2023. The artist was selected by a First Nations panel including Katina Olsen and Adrianne Semmens with Jasmin Sheppard.

“Through this opportunity with Critical Path, and with the guidance of a First Nations curator and access to the AIATSIS and Powerhouse Indigenous archives, I’m stepping into the shadows of history –tracing the barely recorded movements of my ancestors. My focus lies on the forced removals and relocations of Gomeroi people from our homelands in Northern NSW – especially around the Pilliga, Narrabri, Moree, and Wee Waa”

Erica travelled to AIATSIS in Canberra as part of her residency, then spent a week in the Drill Hall mentored by Sheppard remotely.

Truth Telling Development Residency 15-19 December

We were delighted to welcome back Ella Havelka in the Drill Hall to develop a new work Throughlines seeded during her research in 2024. Ella visited Erica Dixon in September to support her Truth Telling process. She then undertook a four-day residence in December which was followed by a full week in February 2026. Ella invited Amy Flannery as composer, Erica Dixon with support from her Foundation and Amelia O’Leary as collaborator.

In Throughlines, Ella explores the enduring threads of resilience, identity, and displacement within her family’s history. Ella also proposed to examine the Policy of Voluntary Concentration “as a precursor to contemporary expectations of assimilation, exploring how these historical policies echo in present-day experiences”… also aiming at investigating “how older generations of First Nations people internalise cultural knowledge, holding it close as if guarding a hand in a metaphorical game of Cluedo. This dynamic reflects the delicate balance of identity and survival amidst ongoing pressures to conform.”

Ella’s residency demonstrated the great benefit of following the Truth Telling Research residency with a development period, allowing cross-overs between recipients for safe support and mentorship.

Truth Telling Research Residency, Erica Dixon, photo courtesy of the artist.

The We Create Safe Spaces report launch and publication Sunday 16 March

Sheppard reports: ’The Safe Spaces project began at a gathering at the Drill Hall, Critical Path, on the 2nd of April 2023. Ten First Nations contemporary dance artists based in Sydney began the conversation. It opened the floodgates of conversation and highlighted just how many of our community and our peers have really had to battle the system, struggle through unhealthy ways of working, and revealed that there’s a lack of scaffolding within arts organisations to support the unique way we work and inhabit spaces. It was clear that we only scratched the surface, and we need to have more of these discussions. Over the next two years 19 NSW based or connected First Nations dance artists have been consulted through online and in- person yarns. The purpose was to understand the unique needs of First Nations people working in the sector, to understand the challenges, and to understand why, after lots of work on behalf of the sector, including many allies, do First Nations people still come up against a vast difference in how they experience the sector.’’

Working with First Nations strategic planner and consultant, Joshua Staines, Sheppard combined her findings into a 35-page report with artwork by Shana O’Brien.

issuu.com/criticalpath/docs/we_create_safe_spaces

The launch was introduced by the screening of short films by Jasmin Sheppard, Harlisha Newie-Joe, Tammi Gissell, and Katina Olsen. A discussion facilitated by Tammi Gissell with Jasmin Sheppard and Joshua Staines followed.

Acknowledgement of Country and Smoking Ceremony were performed by Tim Bishop and Nathan Leslie.

An accessible version of the report was also produced. The launch and publication concluded the 2024 Holding Space project supported by Create NSW.

Top (left to right) Tim Bishop and Nathan Leslie.

Bottom (left to right) Tammi Gissell, Jasmin Sheppard, Joshua Staines. Photos by Coti Cibils.

Australian Dance Theatre Workshop

Saturday 5 July

Following Critical Path’s hosting of ADT’s auditions in September 2024, ADT offered a pro bono 3-hour workshop attended by eighteen artists including three NAISDA students.

The workshop was offered in conjunction with the programming of Daniel Riley’s Marrow at CarriageWorks. Sheppard welcomed the company on the day.

This was an extremely well received workshop, demonstrating the need for affordable professional development opportunities by lead choreographers and companies who may also offer prospects of employment.

Henrietta Baird Auspicing 22-25 January as part of Sydney Festival

Critical Path’s auspicing of Henrietta Baird’s Plant a Promise supported by Creative Australia, Create NSW and CarriageWorks concluded with a long-awaited presentation platform for Baird’s work. Plant a Promise was presented as part of the Sydney Festival in the Studio Theatre of Bangarra.

Plant A Promise is a participatory installation and dance work about looking after Country. Led by Henrietta Baird and produced by Pippa Bailey, the work explores how Indigenous cultural and horticultural practices meet scientific knowledge to address increasing loss of habitat to fire and flood.

Our auspicing led to Henrietta Baird being invited to feature in Deborah May’s film installation Breakthroughs.

Australian Dance Theatre Workshop. Photo by Brianna Kell, courtesy of the company.

B- PHYSICAL FUTURES

– Artist Curator Matt Cornell

Taiwan and Australia Choreography Exchange 2022-2025 (Yr 4) 22-25 October at CarriageWorks

I Remember What The Machine Remembers What I Remember :

我記得住機器記住我記住的 Commissioned by Performance Space for LiveWorks

Cornell’s steady determination, agility in negotiation and passion for the exchange led to remarkable success in 2025 with the Australian premiere of Body Data Loop, renamed for the festival. Body Data Loop had its world premiere in 2024 at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung and the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab’s DOME 2.0 venue (C-Lab) following three years of skillfully curated research engaging artists from Australia and Taiwan with support from the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney since 2022, Create NSW and Creative Australia.

As Cornell reported:

“The tour to Australia of BODY DATA LOOP gave the artists an incredible opportunity to rebuild the work to be specific to its location and architecture and the context of Performance Spaces Liveworks Festival. This included rechoreographing, reshooting and editing 35% of the projection, as well as using new musical instruments and lighting.

The artists spent a week together in the Drill Hall dance studio at Critical Path, in the lead up to the performance season, reinterrogating the choreographic decisions of the installation performance, and the way these decisions interfaced with the digital elements for the sake of immersing the audience in their own reflection of embodiment, memory, and shared cultural history within our ever deepening digital condition.

It was a truly successful multi-lateral partnership and a testament to the integrity and commitment of the people of each organisation.”

The artists engaged in the project were the same as in Body Data Loop: Australian artists Nasim Hussain Patel and Roslyn Orlando, and Taiwanese digital creator, Tian Zi-Ping and choreographer Lee Ming-Chieh.

A talk was offered on Saturday 25 October with the artists, Matt Cornell and C-LAB’s Curator for Performance - Cynthia Wang, to discuss Taiwan/Australia collaboration, Xeno Practice, and the search for a new third medium somewhere beyond choreography and future media art.

The LiveWorks season was supported by Creative Australia, the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, and the Playking Foundation through Performance Space.

An estimated 500 people viewed the work across three performances free to the public.

The LiveWorks season was an extraordinary achievement by Cornell, demonstrating how solid partnerships between organisations and countries can lead to meaningful outcomes reaching out to a broad audience, straight from the lab to the public thanks to long-term and deep invested time in collaboration.

Whilst Cornell was engaged as Critical Path Digital Artist Curator during the delivery of the project, one ought to acknowledge Cornell’s initial volunteer contribution towards securing those outcomes.

, Roslyn Orlando. Photo by Lucy Parakhina, courtesy Performance Space.

BIO:MASS Auspicing 22 July– 16 August

Whilst the LiveWorks season was being secured, Critical Path supported and auspiced Matt Cornell’s new work development BIO: MASS.

The development received funding from Creative Australia and was hosted by the University of Sydney as part of the Rex Cramphorn Studio residency program. In addition to sharings, Cornell gave a lecture/workshop for first-year students taking PRFM:1602 Dangerous Performances in the first week of Sem. 2 at the University.

Collaborators included Romain Hassanin, Nasim Patel, Angela Goh as Dramaturg, Solomon Thomas and Merinda Davies.

The work is pitched for a premiere season at Sydney Opera House in December 2026.

I remember what the machine remembers what I remember : 我記得住機器記住我記住的 featuring Nasim Patel, Lee Ming-Chieh and Roslyn Orlando. Photo by Lucy Parakhina, courtesy of Performance Space.

C -GUEST WORKSHOPS

Professional development opportunities with international guests have been for long an essential part of Critical Path offering. Funding constraints and COVID put a halt to these opportunities. Thanks to the entrepreneurial initiatives of artists, Critical Path was able to facilitate three opportunities in 2025.

Contact Improvisation Program with Nita Little (USA)

Curated and produced by Lee-Anne Litton 13-31 January

Nita Little is a dance pioneer whose work had an international impact and changed the course of dance history. A performer, teacher, choreographer, scholar and theorist, she is one of the founders of Contact Improvisation and in the last 50 years, has been touring the globe to teach and share her research on what she calls relational intelligence.

Nita taught a 3-week workshop at Critical Path and the MARCS Institute

• Week 1: Relational Intelligence in CI (13–17 Jan)

• Week 2: Contact Improvisation Meets Ensemble (20–25 Jan)

• Week 3: How Dancers Do Research (28–31 Jan)

The program included

A Contact improvisation sharing in the Drill Hall

Saturday 25 January 1-2pm

“A special conversation where Nita Little meets the history of Australian Contact Improvisation.

Hosted by Martin Hughes, with insights from Helen Clarke Lapin, this dialogue will delve into the roots, evolution, and shared visions of CI in Australia.’’

And a Lecture at the MARCS Institute

How Dancers do Research: the Study of Somatic Communication

Friday 31 January, 5pm-6pm

This was by any measure an extraordinary achievement by Lee-Anne Litton and highly successful suite of workshops, artistically and financially with multiple partners involved and excellent foresight of budget risks. All costs including venue hire were fully covered by fees participants.

Nita Little workshop, Drill Hall. Stills from video by Sam James.

Victoria Hunt and Moe Clarke

18-19 January

animate intimacies: body weather /\ voice being

A two-day immersive workshop by weather beings – a performance collaborative co-founded by Victoria Hunt and Moe Clark.

The workshop was again very well received with 21 participants attending. The workshop was facilitated by Critical Path as an extension of Victoria Hunt’s Critical Practice series.

RESONANCE WORKSHOP WITH JAMES BATCHELOR

20 September 11am-2pm

Resonance in Motion: James Batchelor in choreographic dialogue with Tanja Liedtke

Introduced by the Goethe Institut, Critical Path facilitated a workshop and talk with Australian choreographer James Batchelor now based in Europe. Resonance, was premiered at Sydney Dance Company by FORM Dance Projects as part of IDEA’25.

The workshop was attended by a small number of artists in contrast to the other workshops of the year with no apparent reason, other than possibly the absence of engagement prospect and/or future community building around the artist’s practice.

D- LYON DANCE BIENNALE (France)

17-21 September

The Keir Foundation, in partnership with Critical Path, offered five International Travel Fellowships ($ 5000 each) for artists to attend the Lyon Dance Biennale for a week in September.

The fellowships were awarded to artists Joel Bray, Raghav Handa, Melanie Lane, Sandra Parker and Feras Shaheen. Critical Path’s Director, Agnès Michelet, attended the Biennale to accompany the Australian artists, assist with translation when needed, and develop new international collaborations for future exchanges.

Other Australian artists present were Marrugeku (Dalila Pigram and Racheal Swain) the Australian guest company, Lucy Guerin with dancers, Max Burgess and Rachel Coulson, and company executive producer Ally Harvey; Prue Lang, Amrita Hepi with Performing Lines producer Thom Smyth, Freya Waterson (Melanie Lane’s producer), Leisa Shelton (Scribe) and Philipa Rothfield. The Australian delegation was accompanied by Creative Australia international project officer, Yousr Ben Salem, a fluent French speaker.

FORUM, Hospitalities Opening Gathering, Lyon Dance Biennale 2025. Photo by Agnès Michelet.

E- DANCE CURATION LAB

Facilitated by Dr Angela Conquet ‘Making dance present’

3-7 November

The Dance Curation lab was the first of its kind in Australia to offer choreographers an opportunity to consider the rationale and methods of curatorial practice, traditionally more associated with the visual arts. The Lab drew on French-Australian Angela Conquet’s Australian and international expertise. Conquet, former Dancehouse Director and freelance international dance curator with a PhD in dance curation from the University of Melbourne had recently been the curator for Australia and coordinator of FORUM (see above).

FORUM is a new Biennale project coordinated by French Australian curator Angela Conquet. Conceived through a collaborative curatorial process, FORUM invited five curators and five artists/companies from five countries/continents Brazil, United States, Australia, Taiwan, and Mozambique as part of an experimental international platform aimed at fostering choreographic cooperation and circulation while addressing contemporary social, identity-based, and ecological upheavals.

The Australian artists were able to participate in FOCUS, a platform for artists to pitch their work. The Australian Focus session was attended by approximately 70 presenters and producers.

‘one of the most important influences of attendance at La Biennale de Lyon danse was the chance to see work by European artists and those from other global regions that I would not normally be able to see in Australia, particularly artists whose work sits outside of what may be presented in mainstream Australian festivals or venues. The performances were a chance to defy expectations and to consider the evolving possibilities of the art form.’

Sandra Parker

Keir International Travel Fellowship Recipient

The Lab gathered over one week in the Drill Hall the five Artist-Curators designated in Critical Path 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, namely Critical Path currently engaged Artist Curators Jasmin Sheppard and Matt Cornell; Lee-Anne Litton, Nick Power and Paul Walker. Each Artist Curator was invited to seed/develop and collectively discuss a Research and Development project of national/international relevance with a view to advancing their respective fields of practice, engaging with their community (ies), developing audiences, seeding/sustaining partnerships, mentoring emerging artists.

Dr Angela Conquet shared a wealth of resources each day, framed around a specific provocation from Curating as a practice of hospitality to The question of power. The Lab was part of a broader artistic framework aiming at sustaining artists’ careers as experts in their respective field of practice. Nick Power has since been appointed the new artistic director of Force Majeure in April 2026. Paul Walker develops a new space in Lismore (Northern Rivers region of NSW). Jasmin Sheppard and Matt Cornell continue building their respective programs either within or auspiced by Critical Path. Lee-Anne Litton, also Artist Representative on Critical Path Board, contributes to the strategic direction of the organisation, whilst developing her own projects from her base in the Hunter region.

The lab will be followed by an edition of Critical Dialogues for the broader community to benefit from the lab’s reflections.

The Lab was supported by Creative Australia. All artists were waged for the week.

LYON DANCE Biennale, Tiago Guedes, Artistic Director and Angela Conquet, FORUM coordinator and Curator for Australia. Photo by Agnès Michelet.

MENTORED/EMERGING ARTISTS

SIDE-STEP

A new initiative by Ella Watson-Heath 14-16 November

Balmain Town Hall

Critical Path’s producer, Lizzie Thomson, mentored emerging choreographer and producer Ella Watson-Heath to achieve her inaugural season of short works by independent dance makers, Side-Step.

Side-Step is inspired by Short Cuts, a foundational initiative of STRUT Dance (WA) supporting the presentation of choreographers without the pressures of “production value” in King Street Arts Centre larger studio (Perth).

Critical Path was delighted to support Watson-Heath with space and producing support to bring a similar opportunity for NSW artists.

Watson-Heath skillfully framed the season in two programs of four artists each, across three nights, after successfully negotiating space in the Balmain Town Hall.

The season attracted an audience of 161, an excellent result considering the number of other dance events across Sydney at that time, including Every Wild Idea!

The curated artists were Nasim Patel with Louie Wisby, Madeline Harms with Riley Fitzgerald, Phaedra Brown, Jack Tuckerman, Niamh O’Sullivan, Ashleigh Veitch, Sabrina Muszynski and Alice Weber.

This is a formidable initiative by a skilled emerging producer which we hope will be continued in 2026. Critical Path will remain committed to support Watson-Heath in her project which fulfils our objective of developing pathways for emerging artists.

Creative Development Residency

17 November- 4 December

Cue Lab by Emma Riches

Auspiced by DirtyFeet

Following Emma Riches’ inclusion in DirtyFeet’s Out of The Studio 2024 season presented at Sydney Dance Company, Critical Path supported the artist to be in residence at the Drill Hall, including a week in the Research Room and three subsidised weeks in the Drill Hall made possible thanks to her being successful with Create NSW funding.

The sharing which concluded her residency was very well received and we very much hope that the work will find a path to a fully produced season. The Drill Hall was a perfect space for Riches to explore audience perspectives, having situated the performers within a rectangle surrounded by audiences on all sides.

Cue_lab was masterfully performed by Riches’ collaborators Mitchell Christie, Jacinta Mullen, Emma Harrison and Joshua Freedman.

CONCLUSION

2025 was a year of fireworks, made possible thanks to the invaluable support of our key funding partners, but more over the artists who have shaped the “raison d’être” of Critical Path over the past two decades. As was reflected during the international FORUM platform, artists may share their work with an audience in many ways, apparent throughout our 2025 celebrations: talks, conversations, screenings, participatory workshops, recordings, writings. All bring precious context to what we see on stage.

They are not simply expansions from staged works but part of the full expression of artists’ practice. When we seek “sustainable career pathways”, we may resist the temptation of seeing work as a simple line from A to B, from research to produced work but as ongoing practice tending to multi-directional possibilities at once. The distance between research and public work is not as wide as one would think. I remember what the machine remembers I remember was research on view, as enchanting as ever. Artists told us first-hand without a space to explore the many realms of their choreographic practice, there would be no work. Our future will rely on our capacity to keep holding this space in the trust of artists, always.

Auditor’s Independence Declaration under Section 60-40 of the Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012

Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income

Statement of Financial Position

Statement of Changes in Equity

Statement of Cash Flows

Notes to the Financial Statements

Statement by the Committee

Independent Audit Report

STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

As At 31 December 2025

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the Year Ended 31 December

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

Receipts from customers

Payments to suppliers and employees

Interest received

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Purchase

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

EVERY WILD IDEA curated by Azzam Mohamed featuring Gabriela Quinsacara. Photo by Anna Kucera

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

The financial report covers Critical Path Incorporated as an individual entity. Critical Path Incorporated is a not-for-profit Association, registered and domiciled in Australia.

The principal activities of the Association for the year ended 31 December 2025 was conducting choreographic research and provison of support for chorerographers and dance makers.

The functional and presentation currency of Critical Path Incorporated is Australian dollars.

Comparatives are consistent with prior years, unless otherwise stated.

1. Basis of Preparation

The financial statements are general purpose financial statements that have been prepared in accordance with the Australian Accounting Standards - Simplified Disclosures and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012.

The financial statements have been prepared on an accruals basis and are based on historical costs modified, where applicable, by the measurement at fair value of selected non-current assets, financial assets and financial liabilities.

Material accounting policy information is consistent with prior reporting periods unless otherwise stated.

2. Material Accounting Policy Information

(a) Revenue and other income

Revenue is recognised on a basis that reflects the transfer of control of promised goods or services to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration the Association expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

Generally the timing of the payment for sale of goods and rendering of services corresponds closely to the timing of satisfaction of the performance obligations, however where there is a difference, it will result in the recognition of a receivable, contract asset or contract liability.

None of the revenue streams of the Association have any significant financing terms as there is less than 12 months between receipt of funds and satisfaction of performance obligations.

Specific revenue streams

The revenue recognition policies for the principal revenue streams of the Association are:

Donations and bequests

Donations and bequests collected, incuding cash and goods for resale, are recognised as revenue when the Association gains control, economic benefits are probable, and the amount of the donation canbe measured reliably.

Grant revenue

Where grant income arises from an agreement which is enforceable and contains sufficiently specific performance obligations then the revenue is recognised when control of each performance obligations is satisfied.

Grant income arising from non-enforceable contracts or those without sufficiently specific performance obligations is recognised on receipt unless it relates to capital grants which meet certain criteria.

Other income is recognised on an accruals basis when the Association is entitled to it.

(b) Income tax

The Association is exempt from income tax under Division 50 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.

(c) Goods and services tax (GST)

Revenue, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of goods and services tax (GST), except where the amount of GST incurred is not recoverable from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Receivables and payable are stated inclusive of GST.

Cash flows in the statement of cash flows are included on a gross basis and the GST component of cash flows arising from investing and financing activities which is recoverable from, or payable to, the taxation authority is classified as operating cash flows.

(d) Property, plant and equipment

Each class of property, plant and equipment is carried at cost less, where applicable, any accumulated depreciation and impairment.

Items of property, plant and equipment acquired for significantly less than fair value have been recorded at the acquisition date fair value.

Depreciation

Property, plant and equipment, excluding freehold land, is depreciated on a straightline basis over the asset’s useful life to the Association, commencing when the asset is ready for use.

The depreciation rates used for each class of depreciable asset are shown below: Leasehold improvement: 20-25%

Plant and equipment: 15-33%

(e) Financial instruments

Financial assets

All recognised financial assets are subsequently measured in their entirety at either amortised cost or fair value, depending on the classification of the financial assets.

Classification

On initial recognition, the Association classifies its financial assets into the following categories, those measured at:

• amortised cost

• fair value through profit or loss - FVTPL

• fair value through other comprehensive income - equity instrument (FVOCI - equity)

• fair value through other comprehensive income - debt investments (FVOCI - debt)

Amortised cost

The Association’s financial assets measured at amortised cost comprise trade and other receivables and cash and cash equivalents in the statement of financial position.

receivables

Impairment of trade receivables have been determined using the simplified approach in AASB 9 which uses an estimation of lifetime expected credit losses.

The Association has determined the probability of non-payment of the receivable and multiplied this by the amount of the expected loss arising from default.

The amount of the impairment is recorded in a separate allowance account with the loss being recognised in finance expense. Once the receivable is determined to be uncollectable then the gross carrying amount is written off against the associated allowance.

Where the Association renegotiates the terms of trade receivables due from certain customers, the new expected cash flows are discounted at the original effective interest rate and any resulting difference to the carrying value is recognised in profit or loss.

Financial liabilities

The financial liabilities of the Association comprise trade payables, other loans and liabilities.

(f) Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents comprises cash on hand, demand deposits and short-term investments which are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.

(g) Leases

The Association has chosen not to apply AASB 16 to leases of intangible assets.

(h) Employee benefits

Provision is made for the Association’s liability for employee benefits, those benefits that are expected to be wholly settled within one year have been measured at the amounts expected to be paid when the liability is settled.

Employee benefits expected to be settled more than one year after the end of the reporting period have been measured at the present value of the estimated future cash outflows to be made for those benefits. In determining the liability, consideration is given to employee wage increases and the probability that the employee may satisfy vesting requirements. Cashflows are discounted using market yields on high quality corporate bond rates incorporating bonds rated AAA or AA by credit agencies, with terms to maturity that match the expected timing of cashflows. Changes in the measurement of the liability are recognised in profit or loss.

(i) Economic dependence

Critical Path Incorporated is dependent on the receipt of grant funding from Create NSW and other sources for the majority of its revenue used to operate the business. At the date of this report the Committee members have no reason to believe the receipt of grant funding from Create NSW and other sources will not continue to support Critical Path Incorporated.

(j) Adoption of new and revised accounting standards

The Association has adopted all standards which became effective for the first time at 31 December 2025, the adoption of these standards has not caused any material adjustments to the reported financial position, performance or cash flow of the Association..

(k) New accounting standards for application in future periods

The AASB has issued new and amended Accounting Standards and Interpretations that have mandatory application dates for future reporting periods. The Committee members have decided against early adoption of these Standards, but does not expect the adoption of these standards to have any impact on the reported position or performance of the Association.

3. Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgments

The Commitee Members make estimates and judgements during the preparation of these financial statements regarding assumptions about current and future events affecting transactions and balances.

These estimates and judgements are based on the best information available at the time of preparing the financial statements, however as additional information is known then the actual results may differ from the estimates.

The significant estimates and judgements made have been described below.

Key estimates - impairment of property, plant and equipment

The Association assesses impairment at the end of each reporting period by evaluating conditions specific to the Association that may be indicative of impairment triggers. Recoverable amounts of relevant assets are reassessed using value-in-use calculations which incorporate various key assumptions.

Key estimates - grant income

For many of the grant agreements received, the determination of whether the contract includes sufficiently specific performance obligations was a significant judgement involving discussions with a number of parties at the Association, review of the proposal documents prepared during the grant application phase and consideration of the terms and conditions.

Grants received by the Association have been accounted for under both AASB 15 and AASB 1058 depending on the terms and conditions and decisions made.

If this determination was changed then the revenue recognition pattern would be different from that recognised in these financial statements.

Key estimates

-

long service leave entitlement

The liability for long service leave is recognised and measured at the present value of the estimated future cash flows to be made in respect of all employees at the reporting date. In determining the present value of the liability, estimates of attrition rates and pay increases through promotions and inflation have been taken into account. Accumulated experience, along with market based risk free rates of return, have been used in valuing long service leave entitlements.

Key judgements - income tax

The Association is not subject to income taxes as a result of a self-assessment made over the operations of the Association against the requirements of Section 30-15 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. This assessment was made by Management based upon key criteria for entities considered tax exempt.

recognised on receipt (not enforceable or not sufficiently specific performance obligationsAASB 1058)

Donations

Revenue recognised over time - AASB 15

Cash and Cash Equivalents 5. Result for the Year

result for the year includes the following specific expenses:

Auspice

Trade and other payables are unsecured, non-interest bearing and are normally settled within 30 days. The carrying value of trade and other payables is considered a reasonable approximation of fair value due to the short-term nature of the balances.

12. Related Parties

Related parties include close family members of key management personnel and entities that are controlled or significantly influenced by those key management personnel or their close family members. There were no transactions with related parties identified during the year.

13. Events After the End of the Reporting Period

No matters or circumstances have arisen since the end of the financial year which significantly affected or may significantly affect the operations of the Association, the results of those operations or the state of affairs of the Association in future financial years.

14. Statutory Information

The registered office and principal place of business of the company is:

Critical Path Incorporated

The Drill, 1c New Beach Road Darling Point NSW 2027

11. Contingencies

In the opinion of those charged with governance, the Association did not have any contingencies at 31 December 2025 (31 December 2024:None).

STATEMENT BY THE COMMITTEE

The Committee Members declare that in the Committee Members opinion:

• there are reasonable grounds to believe that the registered entity is able to pay all of its debts, as and when they become due and payable; and

• the financial statements and notes satisfy the requirements of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012.

Signed in accordance with subsection 60.15(2) of the Australian Charities and Not-forprofit Commission Regulation 2022.

Committee Member

Dated 24/04/2026

Adrian Burnett Chair, Committee Member

Alexio Chibika