Danielle von der Borch
Danielle von der Borch is a community development worker, arts practitioner, performer and play-worker; she is a graduate from the Victorian College of the Arts drama school, a Grad. Dip. Movement and Dance Melbourne University, and MA from MIECAT Institute in experiential and creative art therapy.
She has performed with Snuff Puppets, Rawcus Theatre, choreographers Russell Dumas and Dance Exchange, Rosalind Crisp and Stella b, and Jude Walton. She has performed her own material in collaboration with other artists at Dance House and La Mama. She joined Rawcus Theatre as an ensemble member in 2009.
In her community arts practice, she has collaborated with many wonderful artists. This work has taken her to schools, universities, TAFE colleges, local councils and community settings, prisons and youth remand. In the disability art field her work has included projects with Arts Access, City of Port Phillip, Ignition Theatre Training NMIT, Art of Difference Festivals. She has done residency’s in schools with Snuff Puppets, Polyglot Theatre, Joining the Chorus and Aphids. Co-facilitated and directed Y-GLAM performing arts project for 5 years.
She currently works at The Venny Inc, a communal backyard and drop-in place and backyard for kids in public housing, where she has worked for 22 years. Here she spends a lot of her time facilitating the possibilities for play to happen with kids and young people. This work involves play-work practice, and being present to vulnerable and ‘at risk’ kids and young people in an environment of support and care with therapeutic intentions. Here she brings a synthesis of both creativity and play to the sessions she runs. In this setting she has facilitated and co-directed with Chamber Made Opera community performance projects, across a 7 years collaboration.
‘My attempts to notice and bring awareness to the everyday relational experiences is what grounds my interest in embodied practices, performance and creativity, and community work.‘
Click here for a video portrait of Danielle