Bek’s practice binds curiosity with innovation in order to design new models of connection, collaboration and reciprocity between artists and communities, across borders and art forms. Her expertise lies between festival making, dance dramaturgy and karaoke. In the last years she has instigated a number of large international collaborations such as Baltic Take Over Helsinki (LV, LT, EE, FI), The Shake Down with Rosendal Theatre (LV, NO), The Festivals Path with ANTI festival (LV, FI). As an artist she is currently concerned with exploiting magic, making new conditions for togetherness and improving the performing arts with pleasure centred design.
Bek currently serves of the board of IETM. In 2020 She was awarded the Australia Council HIAP residency and 2023 the Kone Foundation SARRI residency in Mynämäki, Finland.
Since 2017 Bek has worked extensively with James Batchelor as a Producer, Collaborator and Artists. Through this extremely fruitful relationship they have toured to over 20 countries. Highlights include performing at Centre Pompidou (FR), Tanz Im August (DE), December Dance (BE), Dance Massive (AU) and being selected as Aerowaves Twenty19 artists.
In 2018 Bek was awarded an Australia Council Grant to research alternative contemporary dance festivals and attend IETM Campus in Fuizine, Croatia. This included research with Tanztage Potsdam, Tanzfabrik Berlin, PAF - Berlin Performing Arts week and Theatertreffen. As a curator, Bek has crafted events for Tanz Im August (DE), Arts House (Australia) and Darwin Festival (Australia).
In 2016 & 2017 Bek was the Associate producer of American Realness in New York. Bek assisted Thomas Benjamin Snapp Pryor on all aspects of the festival with particular focus on Artist support and the delegate program. In 2015 Bek was awarded two creative producing residencies in the UK, Fierce Festival and Forest Fringe. Over four months Bek completed extensive research into alternative curatorial practices and festival formats.
In 2016 Bek was invited to attend the Next Generation Curating for Performance Symposium in Chicago where she was able to connect with similarly minded individuals practicing in the US. Later in 2016 was awarded a live programming internship at MoMA PS1 collaborating with the team to producing Sunday Sessions 2016/2017. Highlights of the program included performances from Mark Leckey, screenings from Black Radical Imaginations and Andre Lepiki’s latest book launch hosted by Ralph Lemon.
In 2014 Bek was awarded an Early Career Residency (Supported by the Australia Council) with Arts House. Throughout a 12 month period she assisted with international collaborations and successfully curated three Supper Club events. In addition to this she established La Discorso, a discussion series about cultural identity in Australia in which she worked with a group of recently arrived refugees to deliver. In collaboration with Dan Koop and Kieran Swann, Bek established Convergence, a day for independent artists to gather and talk about the importance of independence.
Bek s previous positions include Delegate Coordinator at Dance Massive (2017) Special Events Producer at Darwin Festival (2016), Associate Producer at Aphids (2011-2015), Greenie in Residence at Lucy Guerin Inc (2015), Development Manager at La Mama (2014) and Marketing Manager at Dance Massive (2015). As an independent producer Bek has worked with James Batchelor, TNA, City Of Melbourne, Sisters Grimm, The Hayloft Project, Little Ones Theatre, Chamber Made Opera, I m Trying To Kiss You, Samara Hersch and No Show.
Photo Credits (Front Page & About) - Jussi Virkkumaa / Saari Residence.
