David McMicken is the Co-Artistic Director of Tracks with Tim Newth. David’s initial training in dance, theatre, literature and music helped him develop an interest in multi-art form early in his career. After a successful career as a performer and director in several dance and performance companies in Tasmania and Victoria, he visited the Northern Territory which he describes as "like coming home". He has worked in the Territory since 1991 and his work here has been the most rewarding and enlightening of his career.

PHOTO: Mark Marcelis

One thing that McMicken appreciates about working in the Territory is the exposure he has had to important aspects of Australian culture that often remain obscure in other places. Contact with Aboriginal communities and non-European cultures has developed into long-standing relationships that continue to forge a deep level of cross-cultural understanding which is brought to life through the work he creates.

McMicken excels at inspiring, energising and allowing form to develop from the heart. By allowing the performers to develop work by using their own knowledge and experience, McMicken finds a richer source of movements to direct. The work, therefore, is more connected to the performers, adding to the authenticity of the performance as a whole.

By focusing on the relationships between the performers, their movements and the performance space, the choreography retains much more visual emotion. The result is a performance whose physical vocabulary succeeds in telling a story that can be understood by the audience, regardless of the cultural backgrounds of the people in it.

Updated 30/04/2007