APAM 2018 Cements Brisbane's Place On The Global Stage

The Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM 2018) officially opened today at Brisbane Powerhouse, an event that has brought an influx of visitors to the city and will shine a light on Australian arts and culture.

APAM is Australia's leading internationally focused industry event for contemporary performing arts and will be held from 19 to 23 February. More than 670 delegates from 39 countries will be warmly welcomed onto country through song, story and dance, and celebrating Australia's oldest living culture. They will witness extraordinary contemporary performing artists and companies present 46 (15 Pitches and 31 Showcases) Australian and New Zealand showcases and pitches.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) was an example of Council's vision for Brisbane to become a premier location for thriving creative industries in Australia.

"Brisbane is proud to again host this exciting creative showcase, which will welcome hundreds of delegates from 39 different countries to our New World City," Cr Quirk said.

"APAM will give our international visitors an opportunity to see why Brisbane is a top destination for arts and culture and create more leisure and lifestyle opportunities for Brisbane residents.

"It is fantastic to celebrate another exciting event for our city's creative and performing arts scene."

APAM will host over 265 Australian and New Zealand artists and companies across the range of performing arts genres, who will present or pitch their work to festival directors, venue managers and program executives from around the world to find touring partners and investors to take their shows to audiences in Australia and overseas.

This will include renowned Sydney hip hop dance artist and choreographer Nick Power's work Between Two Cities; a hilarious and deeply moving work about family, language and culture from acclaimed Australian actor Jimi Bani and Queensland Theatre ; leaders in contemporary circus Casus showcase their work Driftwood in a dazzling journey of explosive encounters, hidden looks and humorous discoveries, while All The Queens Men's The Coming Out Ball blends showbiz bells and whistles, community celebration, heartfelt storytelling dinner and dancing.

At the opening event guests were given the opportunity to experience one of the FREE events on offer to the general public during this week long industry event. String Symphony, a large-scale interactive performance installation, hand-woven using more than one kilometre of rope uses puppetry to explore connection, community and collaboration. Another free evening event for general public access will be A Night Across Asia (Thursday 22 February ), with performances by SsingSsing (Korea) , Senyawa (Indonesia) and Hiroaki Umeda (Japan) on the Turbine Platform, Brisbane Powerhouse.

Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski said; "Since the Council established APAM more than 20 years ago it has grown to become one of Australia's leading performing arts platforms, attracting more than 1200 influential Directors, Executives, Creatives, Associate Producers, CEOs, General and Program Managers, Artists and Agents from around Australia and the globe. This is the third time we have partnered with Brisbane Powerhouse on this signature event, which is a key part of our commitment to showcasing vibrant new Australian art and investing in the capacity of the sector to reach new markets."

Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development Kate Jones said APAM would round off a blockbuster summer of events in Queensland.

"APAM is a fantastic contemporary arts experience which will showcase Brisbane's cultural scene and will attract visitors to Queensland.

"It will cap off what has been a spectacular summer of events in Brisbane, from the Rugby League World Cup and the Battle of Brisbane 2 to the Brisbane International, Brisbane Global Rugby Tens, and now APAM.

"The event will also help kick off this year's It's Live! In Queensland calendar, which is expected to generate a $780 million economic boost for Queensland in 2018.

In addition to providing the premier platform for Australian and New Zealand contemporary performing arts companies and artists to build international and national tours, APAM champions the ongoing exchange of ideas and dialogue. It is through this philosophy a focused program of ongoing First Nations Exchange, the innaugual Performing Asia program as well as our First Timers program, all offering a deeper engagement for delegates were created.

Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch said the Queensland Government was delighted to welcome APAM back to Brisbane in 2018, reinforcing Queensland's reputation as a world-class arts and cultural destination.

"APAM provides the unique opportunity to showcase our local talent to the rest of the world, and I congratulate the six Queensland artists and companies selected to pitch this year, including Bleached Arts, Casus Circus, Dancenorth, Leah Shelton, Queensland Theatre, and Thomas E.S. Kelly," Ms Enoch said.

"I am also delighted that BlakDance, supported by the Queensland Government, will be providing increased visibility, mobilisation and promote outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander producers and artists at this year's event."

Representatives from London International Theatre Festival (UK), Théâtre National de Chaillot (France), Tanz in August (Germany), National Arts Centre (Canada) and China Shanghai International Arts Festival will join Brisbane Powerhouse Artistic Director Kris Stewart at one of the most popular activities at the market. A series of curated 'Talking Circle' sessions also provide participants the chance to uncover exciting and up-to-date information about topics and regions relevant to their interests and touring objectives.

Brisbane Powerhouse Artistic Director Kris Stewart said Brisbane Powerhouse was once again proud to be hosting APAM Australia's leading biennial industry event for contemporary performing arts, showcasing the very best performances from Australian and New Zealand.

"APAM 2018 is the only arts market that provides international presenters with the opportunity to see and find out about contemporary performance works by Australian and New Zealand arts companies and independent artists. It showcases new Australian performances including First Nations and provides an opportunity to collaborate and secure tours that will wow national and international audiences," said Mr Stewart.

APAM 2018 will be presented at Brisbane Powerhouse with additional events held across local partner venues including the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Sofitel Brisbane Central.

APAM 2018 is presented by the Australia Council for the Arts in partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse. Brisbane City Council is the Principal Supporter of APAM. The Queensland Government, through Arts Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland, also proudly supports the event.

A Night Across Asia and the performance by SsingSsing is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia-Korea Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

For more information on APAM , visit www.performingartsmarket.com.au

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