Do You Remember?

I’m thrilled to share this collaborative piece with you – a work of art with Garth Ernstzen. The presence of art, beauty and movement breathes life into the world. May this art find wings and visit you wherever you are, leaving you moved and perhaps a little more alive. If you have words for what you experience, I would love to hear them.

Featuring & Choreography – Danica Lani
Hair & Makeup – Katrina Villegas
Creative Direction, Direction & Editing – Garth Ernstzen, Garth Ernstzen Photography and Media

Song credit – Jarryd James – Do You Remember

Love Danica

Nov 23

2015

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By Danica Lani

In Artist, Inquiry

Tagsart Artist inquiry money

When Art is present

I have tears rolling down my cheeks, sitting face to face with my dear friend jazi after our shared birthday together. The words of acknowledgement have poured from me to her and now she is pouring words back to me. I get to be who I am because she is in my life and she gets to be who she is because I am in her life. She says something about all of my talents and skills and suddenly my internal dialogue pipes up, like it has something important to say.

Yeah, all of those talents you have that will go to your grave with you.

I catch it like a sharp edged object and examine it in my palm. What is that about?

Suddenly I realise what’s been in the way of sharing my talents. I’ve been waiting for someone to come along and tell me how to make money from my art. Before I share it. I remember, if it’s about the money, it’s not it. And I don’t need to make money from my art to live. I’ve designed my life that way.

What if I could be free to simply share my art for the sake of having art expressed in the world? I mean, that’s the kind of world I want to live in – a world where art is present. As a gift to the world.

Nov 17

2015

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By Danica Lani

In Artist

Tagsart Artist dance inquiry Music

In love with Christine & the Queens

I wonder if being an artist means being true to oneself, being so authentically and wholly oneself that when art is expressed it is as an expression of Self.

Christine gathered her Queens from the stages of drag, dedicating many of her creations to them and to all transgender individuals.

Could the presence of art arise inside of community and what would that look like?

Thank you Kimberlite for introducing me to my newest artist love affair!

Love

Danica

Nov 04

2015

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By Danica Lani

In Artist, Dance, Modelling

Tagsart Artist choreography dance Garth Ernstzen modelling teaser

Teaser

I’m in the mood for teasing. On my last trip to Melbourne, I met up with a photographer friend, Garth Ernstzen. Two years ago he started making a jacket that he’d asked me to model. Being someone who likes to create multiple intentions and fulfil on multiple outcomes, I asked him if he would also be willing to film a new dance routine I’ve been working on. He said yes!

When I first heard this song, it touched my soul immediately. Check out this next sentence: S’ra and I were in our uber and this song came on the radio so I reached for my iphone and shazam’d it then downloaded it straight away onto my itunes. I mean seriously, 10 years ago I would never have said that sentence. I digress.

Do you remember is by Brissie boy, Jarryd James. His voice is so soulful. I immediately wanted to choreograph movement and to create a lyrical style piece to his song. I’m super excited to be viewing the video edits for this at the moment with Garth.

And looking forward to sharing with you…

Love

Danica

Nov 03

2015

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By Danica Lani

In Artist, Dance

Tagsart Artist ask dance practices

Ask for what you want

I stumbled across this delicious demonstration of asking for what you want today. I was first introduced to Jillian Meyers a number of years ago when Ali Shirley and I attended a Masterclass with the Janet Jackson dancers who were out on tour. Jilly stood out as unique, holding her own and with a presence that exceeded most in the room.

In this first video, she makes a proposal to a band she loves – Hozier. Her proposal is to collaborate together using her choreography and concept for their film clip. The second clip is the final result. So inspiring.

What could you ask for that you haven’t yet?

Sep 30

2015

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By Danica Lani

In Artist

Tagsart costume dance fashion queer

Get ur costume on!

My friend and I are designing costumes for my first Bad Dog in Sydney. What’s the first thing I now do when needing to design a costume? Yup, create a Pinterest board…

See here

The theme is Illumidoggie.

Only recently, when we were planning a Wisdom party did it hit me that not everybody has a costume drawer… or trunk… or suitcase… or all three (ahem). Costume is the ultimate opportunity for outlandish expression. Having been a Body Electric dancer for a number of seasons in Melbourne, I’ve become accustomed to the “Stitch and Bitch” sessions and the creativity, partnership and conversation that can be had over costume making. I have to admit, the making of costumes is not my forte. Luckily I had skilled creatives around me to whom I could delegate the most arduous tasks to (thank you Em and Amanda!!)

What’s your favourite outlandish costume experience?

Image:

Found on truthfrequencyradio.com

Sep 17

2015

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By Danica Lani

In Uncategorized

Tagsart Artist beauty growth inquiry

Archibald 2015

What is it about being in the presence of art? That visual language. What is it about being in front of a painting and noticing my body sensations, the emotions and responses, the goings on where I am? I am naïve in the world of ‘Art’ and Visual arts, and yet as a witness, as a human being, I find myself touched, moved and inspired in the presence of art that I love.

Standing in front of Julian Meagher’s Daniel Johns, the colours start to wash through my body as I take in the strokes, the movement and the watery mood in front of me. The sensations in my body tingle and I feel expansive. And then at some point, I am moved. I feel a stirring in my chest and a welling up in my eyes. I am moved by art. I am moved by the presence of the artist and the subject together. The synergy of creation. Something exists, something is expressed that was not expressed before this work came alive. Not in this unique way, not with all of these flavours and colourings.

I notice that I didn’t experience these sensations when I saw a photograph of this work. It is the live experience of standing in front of the work and being with it that allowed for being moved. What is it about the visual domain that expresses something that cannot be articulated in words and recreates it for the person standing there? Perhaps that expression could be a realm for ongoing growth and development…

Sep 10

2015

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By Danica Lani

In Uncategorized

Tagsart Artist fame inquiry

My Life as a Work of Art

What might life look like if you were to design your life as a work of art?

The first thing I’ve had to confront is what’s predictable – when I look out into the future and look at how things are probably going to go for me as an artist, I’d either move to the US or the UK or I’d stay in Australia and wind up on some Australian ‘A’ List dinner table sitting next to Danni Minogue. This is not an inspiring future for me.

I’ve been dreaming of chasing some kind of path as an artist and having fantasies of already being there and what that would be like which leaves me completely unfulfilled and thwarted in the present. I’ve been pretending to be committed to becoming famous.

What if I didn’t have to chase fame?

If I no longer had to chase fame, if the pressure of fame lifted and was gone, and I was free to play as an artist, what would I create I wonder? How could I design my life?

As a work of art?

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