Ali Clarke is a choreographer and director of dance and circus, whose passion lies in creating immersive and interactive performances that explore the interplay between the audience and performer. Her work is grounded in the physical practices of contemporary dance, and she has further expanded her exploration beyond disciplinary boundaries, gaining extensive experience in contemporary circus, spatial design and performance art. With a desire to re-imagine the role of contemporary dance in society Ali began choreographing professional work in 2017 with her award-winning debut performance It Didn’t Start With Us. Ali has received numerous accolades, including a Next Generation Award (’22), two Arts and Disability Research Awards ('21 & '23), and the Chasse Theater and Podium Bloos Culture Award ('19). 

Ali is also the Artistic Director of the international dance and circus company KNOT Kollektiv with whom she creates work in the Netherlands and Germany. KNOT Kollektiv have been widely supported by the Dutch Arts Council, TanzNetz Freiburg and Cafe Theater Festival Utrecht. Further Ali performs with the Brussels based dance company Untamed Productions with whom she has toured Europe, Mexico and Brazil. 

Ali is a dramaturgic coach at the Lisbon based professional dance studies, Performact, where she supports the choreographic development of the students. She also offers partnering workshops and contemporary technique classes for students of the course. Ali’s work branches out from artistic work into the world of art production where she produces a number of independent dance and circus artists across central Europe. 

www.ali-clarke.com

What did you do with your Agility/Project award?

My recent Project Award (2022) funded the development of my most recent artistic work 'What Is Not Ours To Carry', an immersive contemporary dance and music performance which was supported by the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray. What Is Not Ours To Carry premiered in September 2023 in the Mermaid before a run at the Dublin Fringe Festival. The piece explores the search for the self as a hazy and unclear experience by placing the audience in the position of not viewing the work in HD. With their view obscured by mesh material and haze, the work plays with our comfort levels with seeing and being seen. Working with set designer Emma Fisher and light designer Zia Bergin-Holly allowed me to build a unique and immersive set which held the performance. I also had the chance to work with composer Ruben Monteiro on a unique live score which drives the piece forward.

With my Agility Award (2023) I spent time researching an area of the artistic process which has long fascinated me. Together with my colleague Elena Kreusch, who joined me as an academic consultant, and psychologist Nichola Crawford, I spent 6 months researching the relationship between the artistic process and the mental health of the artist. This research will culminate in the publication of an academic research paper in December 2023 and a presentation of this research at the 'Circus and its Others' conference in Colombia in 2024.

What has receiving an award meant to you as an artist/for your career? 

The chance to follow through on the creation of What Is Not Ours To Carry was a huge chance for me to develop the work with a team of incredibly established and talented creatives. Due to the immersive nature of the work it required a full team with skillsets beyond my own and the Project Awards allowed me to bring in a team who could not only bring my ideas to life, but who could collaborate with me in the development and execution of the concept. What Is Not Ours To Carry is an ambitious work with a large and complex set design, alone this would have been impossible to execute. 

As a result of the Project Award I was able to premiere the work to a sold out audience and continue on to a Fringe Festival run which earned the team a five star Irish Times review and nomination at the Fringe Festival Awards. The support that the project award gave me made this possible and has opened new doors in my career.

How would you describe your creative process?

My creative process is usually guided by a little voice reminding me to trust the process. To me the creative process should be messy and unclear and full of twists and turns. That for me is why I continue working in this way despite the difficult path. There is something beautiful in that blurry mess where I am following intuition and gut response which is very pure and feels like something I don't find often in today's world. My creative process is deeply collaborative, I enjoy bouncing ideas off of other artists and the public and building bigger and better plans by putting our respective creative spirits together.

What is the best piece of advice you received as an emerging artist?

Create what is meaningful to you, your audience will find you.

What or who has influenced your practice the most? 

I think the most influential thing in my practice has been a desire to build connection with and within the public during a performance. From very early in my artistic journey I have felt driven to share interaction with the audience and this has been a key element of every artistic venture I have put myself into. I'm inspired by the many moments shared with the audience as a performer and maker which feel intimate and authentic.