What’s My Scene: Hannah Instrell-Walker is sad but honoured to join OzAsia Festival’s swan song
In our regular Q&A column What’s My Scene, InReview speaks to emerging and established local artists to get their take on the South Australian creative scene and their place within it. This week, dance artist Hannah Instrell-Walker reflects on her long history with OzAsia Festival, and the bittersweet ‘full-circle’ moment of appearing in its final program.
Where was your first Adelaide gig, and how did it go?
I created my first ensemble work for Fringe 2023. SOUL was performed at The Shed Rehearsal Theatre in Cumberland Park, it was an intimate performance space where our audience was situated in the round. Personally, I love it when a dance work can be seen from all sides, each audience member has their own unique experience and sees something completely different. The work was produced by Alchemy Dance Collective, founded by myself alongside my colleagues and dear friends Caroline De Wan and Kate Burgess. SOUL was part of our first double bill, with DEJA VU by Kate Burgess, and I remember feeling so accomplished and proud to have built a platform where us emerging artists could collaborate to make and present work. SOUL was about intrinsic connection, how humans experience emotion, and positive versus negative manifestation. It was an ensemble work with six dancers and had incense softly burning in the space. I would definitely like to revisit it again one day.
What is your artist origin story?
I was classically trained in ballet from a young age – I would make dance videos just for fun, teach myself how to play the guitar, I was an obnoxiously artsy kid and would get paint on our rental walls and hundreds of tiny beads went missing in the carpet. But as I am currently developing I’ll Sleep When I Die through The Mill’s OzAsia Residency, I’d like to highlight my love for this festival. My parents had taken me to my first Moon Lantern Festival in 2008, mum and I had the picnic rug all laid out, not too far away from the tech booth where my dad was working, and we were sipping hot tea from our Japanese tea flasks. I remember being absolutely in awe of the warmly lit lantern creatures, overlooked by the full moon in the sky.
OzAsia is having its final run as a full festival this year, and I am saddened yet incredibly honoured to be a part of the program. Having experienced the festival since I was 8 years old, attending shows, participating in workshops, and performing, it really feels like a full-circle moment. Thank you OzAsia for contributing to my growth as a young Asian artist in South Australia, and thank you for facilitating the bridging of Western and Asian culture here whilst also supporting local artists.
What was your impression of the Adelaide creative scene when you first started, and how has that changed?
My first look into the performing arts industry was through my dad, who’d been a musician and involved in tech. When I was younger, my dad’s work was something I found fascinating. I’d often be taken to gigs and jam out to sound checks while I had the empty stage to myself. Back then everything seemed so simple, but growing up you begin to understand that being involved in the performing arts is a huge exercise in resilience. When you pursue a career in the arts anywhere, not just Adelaide, you learn the realities of being an independent artist and find that it becomes multi-disciplinary in nature. First and foremost I am a dance artist, yet I have become my own promoter, my own tax agent, my own stage manager, my own tech hand, the list goes on.
How has your own work evolved since you first started?
This was not intentional, but looking back ever since I started choreographing (even in my amateur days) the themes of my works have consistently been inspired by spirituality, metaphysics, and mysticism. I have always been interested in these concepts and cycle back to them in daily life. I suppose the more I create work the more refined and particular the ideas become. I’ve gone from making dance works about ‘dreams’ as a broad spectrum, to putting a magnifying glass over specific human experiences.
What is it about your next project that you’re most excited to share with the world?
I’ll Sleep When I Die is my first project after taking some time off to experience life. I travelled, I learned, I grew and now I am coming back into development with a fresh mindset and plenty of new inspirations. I am excited to get back to producing and choreographing, though definitely nervous to present my art in its raw form after a while of being away.
Who are the artists around you that inspire or challenge you?
Kate Burgess: My best friend, my chaos demon, an incredibly talented artist and one of my biggest supporters. She’s off being a top-class bartender interstate now but she is constantly spitballing ideas with me. Sometimes we’ll spend over three hours on the phone just coming up with new dance work ideas.
Caroline De Wan: Also my best friend, the angel on my other shoulder, one of the smartest women I know. Every time I’m having a creative block, it’s like Caroline will whisper wise words of dramaturgy and clarity into my ear and suddenly I’m back to usual business. She helps me see my art from different perspectives and makes me think deeper about my work.
Favourite Adelaide venue to play?
My favourite times performing in Adelaide have always been outdoors on open air stages. Even as an audience member there is something so invigorating about experiencing live performance in earth’s natural elements, especially in such a spiritually and culturally rich place that is Kaurna Country. I remember when Sydney Theatre Company presented The Secret River for Adelaide Festival 2017 in a natural amphitheatre in Tea Tree Gully. Birds and bugs were chirping as the sun set, it was epic.
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Dream artist to perform alongside?
It is my lifelong unrealistic dream of mine to make an entire huge scale dance work to the score of My Neighbour Totoro, with a live orchestra conducted by Joe Hisaishi himself. Ghibli films and Joe Hisaishi’s compositions hold a huge place in my heart and are definitely a source of inspiration. Kiki’s Delivery Service comes closely second in the list of favourites.
Favourite artist to have collaborated with?
Back in 2021 we worked with choreographer Jack Ziesing on Sable as part of one third year production at Adelaide College of the Arts. Our faces were covered in clay and we danced like gothic statues coming to life, still one of my favourite processes and performances to this day.
Where is your next Adelaide performance, and how do you hope it will go?
The work in progress showings for I’ll Sleep When I Die will be presented at The Mill on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I am hoping to show my work in both live and film form. After this development, I will be creating a solo work on dancer Kala Melegh for Fringe 2027 as a part of Encounters, presented by newly formed performance company Peculiar Shadows. The title of my new work is called Phases, it will explore a person’s connection to the moon, falling into patterns, and embracing inevitable change.
Hannah Instrell-Walker will perform her work in progress showing of I’ll Sleep When I Die on October 15 – 16 at The Mill as part of OzAsia Festival 2026
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