Restless Dance Theatre

🌟 Tutor Spotlight | Welcome Eduardo! 🌟

We're thrilled to officially welcome Eduardo Sacco Caprotti to the Restless Dance Theatre tutor team!

Eduardo first joined us as a volunteer in our Junction class, where his warmth, curiosity and passion for movement quickly made an impact. These school holidays, we're excited to see him step into the role of leading our Emerging Artists program.

Originally from Milan, Italy, Eduardo is a Sports Scientist, Remedial Massage Therapist, and is currently completing a Master of Creative Arts Therapy (Dance Movement Therapy) at the University of Melbourne.

With experience working alongside athletes, dancers, children, older adults, and people with disability, Eduardo brings a unique approach to movement that is grounded in creativity, playfulness, curiosity and human connection.

His philosophy is simple yet powerful:
"My mission is to empower you to move with joy."

Eduardo believes movement is more than exercise-it's a way to explore, connect, communicate and discover ourselves. Inspired by watching his own children learn through curiosity and play, he creates spaces where everyone feels supported to explore movement in their own unique way.

We're so excited to have Eduardo sharing his knowledge, kindness and creativity with our artists.

Please join us in giving him a very warm Restless welcome!

✨ Last week, our Artistic Director Michelle Ryan had the honour of returning to her home state of Queensland as a keynote speaker at QShowcase: Arts Market + Conference, presented by Stage Queensland QTouring.

Bringing together presenters, producers and artists from across Queensland, QShowcase is a vibrant gathering where ideas are shared, connections are made, and the future of touring and the performing arts is explored.

For Michelle, the opportunity was especially meaningful.
"Coming back to Queensland always feels a little bit like coming home."

Born and raised in Townsville, Michelle reflected on a career that has taken her around Australia and across the world, and on the unexpected journey that led her to Restless Dance Theatre.

She spoke about touring, identity, leadership, disability, and finding purpose in places you never imagined.

"Over the last thirteen and a half years, the extraordinary artists of Restless have restored my faith in people. They have reminded me of the importance of creativity and community, the celebration of difference, and the power of seeing possibility where others see limitations."

Thank you to Stage Queensland and QTouring for the invitation and to everyone who attended for making it such an inspiring event. We look forward to continuing the conversations about inclusive arts, touring and the future of dance theatre.

Photographer Credit: Jade Ellis

✨ Professional Development Day 2026 | The Responsive Arts Educator✨

What an inspiring day!

On Saturday 27 June, we welcomed dance educators, independent artists, dancers and volunteers from across South Australia for our annual Professional Development Day.

Together we explored inclusive dance practice through movement, improvisation, composition and creative tasks led by the Restless artistic team—Larissa McGowan, Marcus Louden, and Carolyn Obst. Michelle Ryan and Emma Stokes also shared insights into the Restless ReMix project, showcasing its focus on training, research and leadership in inclusive dance.

A thought-provoking keynote from Kerrin Rowlands, Lecturer in Arts Education at Adelaide University, sparked meaningful conversations about the future of inclusive dance education and how we can continue to create responsive, accessible learning environments.

The day was filled with creativity, collaboration, shared learning and new connections. Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to such a generous exchange of ideas.

We're already looking forward to next year's Professional Development Day!

A special thank you to Carolyn for organising this wonderfully rich day!

✨Celebrating 35 Years of Restless Dance ✨
In the Blood (2002)

Premiering at the Queen's Theatre during the High Beam Festival of Disability and Arts, In the Blood explored the embodied histories that shape who we are through the lens of family, memory and one of life's most personal celebrations, a birthday.

Drawing on the lived experiences of the performers and their families, the work reflected on the joy, tension, intimacy and complexity that can emerge during family celebrations. Birthday stories became a powerful way to explore identity, relationships and the memories we carry with us.

Creative Team
Director: Ingrid Voorendt
Design: Gaelle Mellis
Lighting Design: Geoff Cobham
Sound Designer: Paul Cowley
Music Composed and Performed by: Zoë Barry , Zac Coligan, Steve Griffiths and Jed Palmer
Assistant Directors: Anna Catherine Hickey-Moody and Philip Channells

Dancers
James Bull, Gemma Coley, Kynan Coley, Clare Coulter, Cris del Campo, Lisa Engelaar High Sophie Janzon, Sally Miller, Andrew Nixon, Ana Retallick, Stuart Scott, Lauren Smeaton, Mario Späte Mark Tanner.

As we celebrate 35 years of Restless Dance Theatre, we honour the artists whose stories, creativity and collaboration have helped shape our history.

Feel free to share your memory: https://restlessdance.org/35-years-of-restless-dance-theatre/