S A M A R A | C U N N I N G H A M
Samara Cunningham
Samara is the driving force behind numerous creative projects in regional Victoria. She is the founding director of (it’s no) drama, a disabled-led, not-for-profit arts company in South Gippsland, and she facilitates regular community performance projects for people of all ages and abilities. This is the culmination of years of experience working in community dance and arts management in Tasmania, Western Australia, and Victoria. Samara’s childhood in North-West Tasmania influenced her understanding of the transformative effects of the arts on people’s lives. Her own dance and drama experiences led to a Bachelor in Performing Arts and Graduate Diploma in Education (Dance/Drama) at WAAPA, Edith Cowan University.
About
Samara is a dance artist, director and producer who works in community engaged performance. She has built a reputation for delivering exceptional creative art projects for people of all ages and abilities. A focus of these projects is always to encourage participation for marginalized people by ensuring access to professional arts experiences. By welcoming all people, regardless of their background, Samara's dance and performance practice promotes understanding and nurtures a place where all people can share their creativity in a professionally supported environment.
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In 2013 Samara made South Gippsland, in regional Victoria, her family’s home. Since that time, she has focused her practice on delivering high quality accessible performance projects. It's here that her leadership and creative philosophy has flourished, allowing her to fill small halls, theatre venues and public spaces in the region with dance projects for people of all ages and abilities: ‘Fill the Void’ (2021), ‘On Display Global’ (2021), ‘The Knot Project’ (2021), ‘Action Station’ (2022), ‘Dance Hall’ (2022), Dance Track (2023), and ‘Front Foot *Back Beat’ (2023).
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Samara's work as the Founding Director of (it’s no) drama—a physical theatre company for artists with disabilities—has been one of the most unique and important creative endeavours in Gippsland over the past eight years. Since the group's establishment in 2017, Samara has directed several public works and collaborated with Back to Back Theatre for Rising Festival’s 'Single Channel Video' (2022), Heidi Latsky Dance (New York) for 'On Display Global', an international collaboration honouring the United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and Fog Theatre for the public launch of the 'Body Here' online dance tool with RMIT technology designers.
As a dance artist Samara has worked for Regional Arts Victoria for their Creative Workers in Schools and Sustaining Creative Workers initiatives, and her recent community outreach project 'Everyone Can Dance' attracted support from the Heart Foundation Australia, and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.​
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The impact of Samara's creative projects have been recognised by support from Creative Australia, Regional Arts Victoria, the Heart Foundation, The Mercy Foundation, Bendigo Community Bank, Mirboo North Foundation, and South Gippsland Shire Council.
Samara won the 2024 HESTA Individual Excellence award for her transformative work in inclusive arts.
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