- With Bangarra Since:
- 2019
- Family Background:
- Kassidy is a descendant of the Wanaruah People in the Hunter Valley, NSW.
- Biography:
Kassidy completed fulltime training with Sydney Dance Company’s Pre Professional Year of 2017 and with NAISDA Dance College; graduating in 2016 with the prestigious Chairman’s Award.
Kassidy has worked with Artistic Bodies such as Ausdance for the Big Dance, Catapult Choreographic Residency with Craig Bary and Dale Collier, ERTH Visual and Physical Inc for The Liminal Hour.
She has also worked with choreographers such as Matt Cornell’s for I learn’t my cultural Dance from YouTube, Thomas E.S Kelly’s Karul Projects on Snap Click Shot, Lucky Lartey for Full Circle, Jo Clancy for Bower Bird and Vicki Van Hout throughout her studies at NAISDA Dance College.
Wagana Aboriginal Dancers and Janawi Dance Clan have played an important role in Kassidy’s cultural connection and performance growth. She recognises these women as important female leaders in her life and thanks them for the opportunities to grow as an educator and performer, on a local and international level.
Kassidy completed her DirtyFeet Choreographic Lab in 2018 and was a Romana’s Pilates Apprentice at Cynthia Lochard’s Pilates Studio thanks to being awarded the Joanne Harris Pre Professional Scholarship for 2017.Since 2021, Kassidy has worked predominantly as an artistic collaborator with Janawi Dance Clan, where she choreographed and performed a part of the opening for the new Allianz Stadium, screen directed Janawi dancers for Lisa Reihana’s recent commission for the Art Gallery of NSW’s Sydney Modern, and co-choreographed with Peta Stachan, the new Janawi work, Garrigarang Badu, which will be performed later in 2023.
Kassidy has also been involved with several creative development projects including her own new piece, Kuruwarang: Long Time Since (Art House Wyong), and works in development with Vicki van Hout, Amy Flannery, and Sydney based Dance Makers Collective. She was also the rehearsal director for Emily Flannery’s children’s show at the Sydney Opera House, Bulnuruwahna.
Working with Bangarra alumni, Baden Hitchcock, Kassidy co-choreographed, directed and performed in a filmed segment of Georgina Kenyon’s education story about flying foxes. In September 2022, she was a dancer on the Uluru Statement from the Heart advertisement campaign, and a guest voice for the National Museum of Australia’s Feared and Revered: Feminine Power exhibition which is currently showing until August 2023.
Kassidy has recently completed her advanced training as a Pilates instructor and was an Action Researcher for Jasmine Gulash’ research into Indigenous Dramaturgy.