KAY ARMSTRONG
Kay graduated from West Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 1988. Since
moving to Sydney in 1989 Kay has worked professionally as a dancer and actor in
theatre, film, television, theatre-in-education, corporate theatre and street theatre. She
has been seen in T.V commercials, feature film and theatre
From 1991- 1996 Kay formed her own duo dance theatre company, Halex Vargus,
and with the support of both state and federal funding, toured the company and her
work nationally and overseas. She also created and produced a successful dance in
education program ‘On the Air’ which toured as part of Young Australia Workshop to
both metro and regional NSW and W.A.
Kay began exploring making and performing solo work in 1997 and has to date
produced three full-length solo productions and numerous short solo works. These
pieces have been performed in festivals both nationally and overseas.
She had a long-standing relationship with One Extra Dance Company performing
with them originally in 1990 then returning in 2000 as an affiliated artist. Kay joined
One Extra in several projects as a performer and three solo productions as
choreographer / performer.
In 2004 she was awarded the prestigious Robert Helpmann Scholarship. The
scholarship afforded her one-year of professional development, during this time she
travelled overseas participating in workshops and choreographic laboratories in Italy,
Brussels, Amsterdam. England and France.
In 2006 Kay re-joined Dean Walsh’s project BACK FROM FRONT in its second
development stage, toured her solo work to Dancehouse as part of the Melbourne
International Comedy Festival, continued her choreographic investigations with a
Critical Path research dance film project and was invited to partake in the Thierry de
Mey dance film workshop hosted by Reeldance and Critical Path. She also
choreographed works for the BA Dance course at UNSW and Stella Maris College.
She also joined a collaborative team of independent artists in the development of a
new site-specific production for the Historic Houses Trust.
At the beginning of this 2007 Kay was appointed Artistic Director of pulse8, a youth
dance company committed to providing a platform for emerging, talented young
dancers and dance makers.
In October 2007 Kay performed a solo work in the inaugural Short and Sweet Dance
Festival, taking out the Judges Choice Award for outstanding choreography /
performance. She was appointed 2007 Artist Representative on the board of the peak
dance research organization of NSW, Critical Path, and was also voted one of
Australia’s most interesting artist’s by Dance Australia Magazine, as part of the 2007
Dance Australia Critic’s Survey.
In 2008 Kay was invited by DirtyFeet, an independent dance collective, to remount
her work Full Cup Steady Hand which was performed in August as part of their sell-out
season Under The Weather. She was also invited to sit on their board for 2008. In 2009
she has been invited back as mentor to the collective.
Since becoming Artistic Director with pulse8 in 2007, Kay has produced four public
seasons, two outdoor festival events, two education programs and mentored one
emerging artist and nurtured and supported over forty young aspiring dancers.
In 2009 she moves on from pulse8 and launches her new independent youth dance
company youMove. The company will be supported in part by Western Sydney
Dance Action under the umbrella of Riverside Theatre, Parramatta and will have its
home in the new Connect Studios in the heart of Western Sydney.
Over the last seventeen years Kay has taught in both private and tertiary institutions
including – UWS Nepean, UNSW, ACPE, Brent St Studios, Sydney Dance Company,
Ausdance professional classes. She currently teaches at private studios – Balmain
Dance Academy and Woollahra Dance Academy and has held her position in these
private schools for the last fifteen years. She has long held a passion for dance
education and has devoted her energy to the growth and development of youth dance
in NSW.
Kay is a well-respected independent dance artist. She is a committed and prolific
member of the NSW dance community and continues to champion the art form by
becoming involved in the many facets of the dance community from creating,
producing, mentoring, to teaching. She also volunteers her time and knowledge to the
growth and development of the sector by sitting on boards and accepting invitations
to sit on peer assessment committees such as – ArtsNSW Dance Committee Member
(2000-2003) Robert Helpmann Scholarship Committee(2002 , 2006), Critical Path
Board (artist rep 2007, peer assessment panel 2007), External Advisory Committee
ACPE (2008), DirtyFeet board member ( 2008-2009), Short, Sweet and Dance
Festival panel ( 2007, 2008), AusdanceNSW Residency Program Assessment panel
(2008).
