Vicki Van Hout is a Wiradjuri woman born on the south coast of NSW. An independent choreographer, performance-maker and teacher, she has worked across a range of performance mediums nationally and internationally. Her work practice emanates from the belief that all cultural information is fluid in its relevance and that we both exchange in and adhere to patterns of cultural behaviour and its tacit meanings. In particular, Vicki’s work aims to explore the commonality between traditional and urban cultural experience, and how indigenous cultural information can be drawn upon to make sense of both. A graduate of the National Aboriginal Islander Dance College (NAISDA), Vicki has learnt and performed dances from Yirrkala, Turkey and Christmas Creeks, Mornington and Bathurst Islands, as well as Murray, Moa and Saibai Islands in the Torres Strait. Vicki also studied at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York and has danced with companies including Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre and Bangarra Dance Theatre. Vicki has danced for culturally significant events, including the 30th Anniversary of the 1967 Aboriginal Referendum and the first Indigenous opening of Parliament in the lead up to the 2008 National Apology. In addition to her ongoing work in Australia, Vicki has secured several international choreographic residencies, which have included engagements in Austria and Singapore through the World Dance Alliance. She regularly choreographs for a range of diverse educational and arts organisations and collaborates with other performance artists. Vicki was recently awarded the 2014 NSW Dance Fellowship for established and mid-career artists – the first Indigenous winner of the Fellowship.

Listen to Erin Brannigan interview Vicki Van Hout

Lecture-performance - 10 April 2019

Vicki invited visitors to participate in actions with her installation to understand the durational nature of her sculptural practice as a preparation of the performance space. This tradition is consistent in indigenous dance as Vicki has experienced it across Australia, and is part of a more encompassing understanding of performance practice. 

 The River (2019)

The River was a section from the set design for Briwyant (2010-2012) which made up part of the work Vicki presented in the exhibition. The installation was accompanied by a soundscape featuring read reviews from Chris Boyd, Julia Cotton and Keith Gallasch, and Vicki’s responses as well as audio from Plenty Serious TALK TALK (2018) and Long Grass (2015-2016).

Visitors were invited to engage with the installation by walking through it in bare feet and cards were replaced as it degraded throughout its life cycle.

Sound design by Phil Downing.

 Spoken Word Poetry

Anxiety, originally commissioned for the ‘Big Anxiety Project’ in 2017. Performed live for the opening and as part of a symposium regarding performance anxiety.

The Auction was written for ‘Plenty Serious Talk Talk’ in 2018 to address the commodification of intellectual property in the arts.

Colour Chart Hijinx was written for director Rosie Dennis as part of a collaborative creative process of Urban Theatre Project’s ‘Simple Infinity’ (2016).

Family Matters was featured at the end of a performance piece by the same name as part of a greater season titled ‘Action Stations’ curated by Natalie Cursio and presented at Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2011. Inspired by the infamous ‘blackfella grapevine.’

My Grandmother’s Country represented the opening gambit of ‘Briwyant’ presented by Performance Space from 2010-12. Just a dot - also written for ‘Briwyant’ score.

The Legacy was commissioned for the opening of the new NAISDA premises in 2013. The poem was printed onto a tea towel and subsequently performed by many NAISDA developing artists.

We All Remember, a part of Imprint at the Garma Festival 2014, this piece is about memory residing in places other than your brain – your body and your DNA. Local children feature in the video of this community-based project.

The Fix its, from ‘Behind the zig zag’ written in 2009, inspired by the concept of electrical malfunction as it presents itself in the human body by way of verbal dysphasia.