IAN RT COLLESS
Regarded as one of Australia’s most innovative early career choreographers, Colless’ work has been seen throughout the world. At 27 years old, his choreographic credits are diverse; he has created work for major opera companies, state festivals, universities, musicals, Off-Off-Broadway and dance companies.
He is the current Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer of Untitled|Collective. With the Collective he has created works at Ailey Citigroup Theater (NYC), La MaMa Moves Dance Festival (Off-Off-Broadway, NYC), Summer Stage Central Park (NYC), The Australian Consulate (NYC), RUBABOO Arts Festival (Canada, hosted by Alberta Aboriginal Arts), The Brisbane Festival’s ‘Indigenous Closing Ceremony’ (Brisbane), LINK Dance Company (Perth), DirtyFeet (Sydney), and the United Nations, to name a few.
Internationally, Colless has performed, choreographed and produced throughout Australia, as well as in China, The Netherlands, Uganda, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Portugal. He was the first modern choreographer to create a work for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Colless has been an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre (Canada) and PAF; the Performing Arts Forum (France). Aside to his successes with Untitled|Collective, individually he has also been commissioned by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Australia Council for the Arts, the McDonald Foundation Cultural Trust and the Australian Consulate.
As a performer, Colless has danced for The Australian Premier of The Who’s ‘Tommy’, Leigh Warren and Dancers, Michael Whaites, LINK Dance Company, Battery Dance Company (NYC), C. Eule Dance Company (NYC), and Douglas Dunn to name a few. Academically, he holds a BFA and two post-graduate degrees in dance and choreography. He has lectured dance around Australia and the globe including NYU. Colless’ thesis ‘Dreaming in Motion’ investigated current trends in indigenous contemporary dance. It has since been published by Edith Cowen University, and it is noted in the National Library of Australia database.
Ian is now on staff as a part of the new Dance Center at 244 Rehearsal Studios NY. His Modern Technique classes are held on Sundays from 12-1:30 pm.