Taking place over a two-week period for ten days of intensive workshopping with the Shaun Parker & Company team, Queer Bites aims to develop emerging artists and encourages them to heavily engage with the communities in which they perform.
Not only is Queer Bites free to attend, participants in the workshop also receive a $500 stipend.
In doing this, Shaun Parker & Company hope for artists to be able to forge new collaborations they may not have thought of otherwise and learn how to generate live performance, all while placing a heavy emphasis on reflecting the LGBTQIA+ experience.
Whether it's singers, actors, composers, writers, dancers or even physical theatre performers, Queer Bites provides an extremely valuable opportunity to nurture talent.
Indigenous performance artist Eric Avery has been developing his unique artistic style, which combines violin, dance, and singing in his ancestral languages, for many years, wowing audiences.
Eric participated in Queer Bites this year (which took place 16-28 September at Seymour Centre) with the goal of “learning from other queer artists” and says the experience was “very rewarding to just gleam off other people and aspects of queer theory.”
“I’ve been developing my work for a long time and so to be involved with Queer Bites let me see what other queer artists are doing that were in the workshop and personally, I will be continuing in my culture and my language, as a queer artist, as myself, as Eric Avery.”
Eric’s heritage lies with the Ngiyampaa, Yuin, Bandjalang and Gumbangirr people of New South Wales, and shining a spotlight on his culture and language through his art and performance is something that is extremely important to him. Having grown up around music all his life, beginning with the piano and then on to the violin, Eric uniquely combines what is typically thought of as a classical instrument with the vocals sung in multiple Indigenous languages to create unforgettable art.
“That’s who I am. I’m an Aboriginal artist so I have responsibilities to my culture. I love singing my songs and I love performing so that’s one of the most amazing things, to be able to be me.”
Eric seeks to emphasise the importance of “keeping the culture alive” through his performance.
“I think that’s what my culture really has as well. It’s good to carry forward the language. . . To speak.”
Queer Bites provided the perfect opportunity to share this culture with other LGBTQIA+ artists and performers.
For Eric, one of the most valuable take aways from his time at Queer Bites was the diversity of each artist's experience, being queer.
“One of the things that I learnt in the workshop is that there’s all different experiences of being queer, and the experience talks between different cultures. That was very interesting to see.”
For those who may be thinking of attending Queer Bites in the future but may be a little nervous, Eric has some excellent advice.
“Just to attend the workshop and just express yourself I think is the most important thing. And then work on ideas. Expanding your heart and seeing what you are capable of and sharing that. Sharing artistry.”
