BIOGRAPHY

 

A performer at heart, Wendy (Eddie) McPhee has a wealth of experience across the arts as a contemporary performance artist, creator and educator. As a child her artistic ambitions were stimulated by impromptu backyard performances and raucous Tupperware parties. After graduating from the Australian Ballet School in 1981, she made a radical change by joining Mantis, one of Britain's most avant-garde contemporary dance companies.

McPhee has worked with contemporary dance and circus companies in Australia including DanceNorth, Tasdance and The Tiny Top. In 2001 she formed Softcore Inc. as a vehicle for her own multi-practice productions weaving together dance, theatre, cabaret, sideshow and pop culture. Funded by Arts Tasmania and Australia Council, Softcore Inc created acclaimed productions including CENSORED, Private Dancer, Ms Fortuna Goes Greek, Double Happiness.

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McPhee received numerous grants and awards including Asialink Performing Arts Grant (Yogyakarta Institute for the Arts, Indonesia) and Artsbridge Grant (Pina Bausch, Germany). Her collaborations with artists from different disciplines have produced installations, exhibitions and events, including NIGHTSHIFT with multi-media artist George Khut and IMMERSED with choreographer John Utans.

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McPhee was Lecturer in Contemporary Dance at Queensland University of Technology graduating with a Master of Fine Arts (Dance) 2004 and holds a Certificate in Public Health (Sexology). She was co-director of WaW Dance, co-creator of Small Change and As If No-One Is Watching for Vulcana Circus, Mature Program Coordinator for Australasian Dance Collective (2022 & 2023). She performed Apartness and Callosity in Queensland Ballet ENCORE season and is creating and performing Death Piece with The Farm. In 2024 she choreographed WILDFLOWER for ADC’s Mature Ensemble and created a community project called The Catalogue of Forgetting. She is currently working on DoubleTake a video installation and recently received a RADF mentorship grant to work with Margi Brown Ash on her new production Line of Descent. Her practice encourages people to stay open to possibilities and find joy in creativity. 

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