DanceConnect is an inclusive creative movement program run by Smart Artz Theatre Inc. in Horsham, creating a space where dancers with and without disability can connect, create and perform together. The program is running as a pilot in 2026, and we’re seeking funding to expand the program next year by bringing in more dancers and collaborating with other inclusive dance companies.
At the heart of DanceConnect is the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the joy, challenge and self-expression of dance. Sessions combine movement, improvisation, choreography, technique and creative exploration, with participants encouraged to contribute ideas, develop their own artistic voice and build confidence as performers.
DanceConnect is also about connection: forming friendships, working collaboratively and creating genuine pathways for local dancers to be seen and valued as artists. Through regular sessions, performance opportunities and creative projects including dance films, the program aims to broaden ideas about who can dance and what inclusive practice can look like.
Most importantly, DanceConnect celebrates individuality, creativity and the simple pleasure of moving together.
THE DANCERS
Amy Anselmi – Program Facilitator/Dancer
Amy Anselmi is a dancer, director, choreographer, performer, educator and community arts practitioner whose creative work has spanned more than three decades.
Her background is broad and slightly unconventional, moving between dance, theatre, education, festivals, technical production and community arts. Amy is Autistic, and her neurodivergent perspective is an important part of the way she approaches creativity — with curiosity, close observation, a strong instinct for pattern and detail, and an interest in making space for people to work and communicate in different ways. She has taught Dance, Drama and Theatre Studies up to VCE level, and has continued to undertake training with other dance and theatre practitioners throughout her career. More recently, she completed formal training in technical production in her role as casual tech for the Horsham Town Hall, which has added more depth to her approach to staging theatre and dance.
Amy has also been closely involved in regional arts and festival culture. Over the years she has contributed to both the Art Is… Festival and the Nati Frinj Biennale, including producing performance works for both festivals and collaborating with a wide range of artists, performers and community members. These experiences have strongly shaped her interest in work that is experimental, collaborative and grounded in place.
As a co-founder and current President of Horsham-based Smart Artz Theatre Inc., Amy has helped develop and deliver an ambitious range of regional performance projects. Her directing credits include ‘The Laramie Project’, which received Victorian Drama League awards for Best Production and Best Director, and a contemporary staging of ‘Oedipus the King’ at Horsham Town Hall. She has also worked extensively as a choreographer, producer, performer and sound designer, including choreography for ‘Godspell’, which received a Victorian Music Theatre Guild Award. More recently, she co-produced Smart Artz’s outdoor production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in the Horsham Botanic Gardens and appeared as Oberon The Fairy King.
Creating opportunities for other people has always been an important part of Amy’s work. She co-founded the youth acting and creative movement program Kick Up The Artz and has spent many years teaching, choreographing and mentoring young performers.
DanceConnect brings together many of the threads that have run through Amy’s practice for years — dance, education, performance, inclusion, experimentation and collaboration. Her approach begins with the individual dancer: what they enjoy, what they naturally bring to the room and what they are interested in exploring. From there, the work develops through movement, technique, improvisation, choreography and shared ideas.
Amy is particularly drawn to projects that are ambitious, inclusive and a little unexpected. She values creative work that gives people genuine ownership, encourages curiosity and takes regional artists and audiences seriously.
Isabelle Hoskins
Isabelle has been dancing and performing for as long as she can remember. As the daughter of Y-Space director Jillian Pearce, she has grown up surrounded by theatre, creativity, and performance, and has spent much of her life on stage.
Her connection to movement started early—in a prenatal scan, she was spotted doing the splits before she was even born, which in hindsight should have surprised absolutely nobody. 
Since then, she has gone on to train in dance, aerial silks, and gymnastics, developing the strength, flexibility, and confidence that underpin her performance artistry.
Isabelle has appeared in multiple Nati Frinj Festivals, with highlights being “Scary Girls Dance Party” as a collaboration with Ruby Hughes and most recently “Slay Queen” collaborating with director Megan Twycross and silks performer Bec Hopkins.
A highly creative performer, Isabelle is an intuitive and accomplished dancer with a strong sense of artistic expression.
Through DanceConnect, audiences will also have the opportunity to experience her work as a choreographer, showcasing another side of her creativity and talent.
Erin Kearns
Erin is a talented young performer from Quantong, Victoria, with a passion for acting, dance, and storytelling.
Her creative journey began through Horsham’s Art Matters Soapbox Theatre, and Shake and Groove dance group, and a variety of local performances including fashion theatre event Truck for Nati Frinj, before continuing her training and performance work with Geelong-based Theatre of Speed under the internationally acclaimed Back to Back Theatre.
Erin loves using movement to develop character and tell stories; as a performer, she’s incredibly expressive and engaging.
Her lead role in the short film Baby, produced by Chapter 5 Studios and screened at international film festivals in the USA and India, remains a career highlight.
In recognition of her talent and commitment, Erin was selected to attend a week-long workshop with Restless Dance Theatre in Adelaide through a collaboration with Theatre of Speed, further developing her skills as a performer and artist.
Erin brings creativity, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of connection to DanceConnect each week, inspiring us all through her love of movement and narrative.
Anna Kennedy
Anna’s love of rhythm, music and creative expression shines through in every DanceConnect session. A natural performer, she brings enthusiasm, personality and a wonderful sense of musicality to the group.
Anna is also a talented singer and songwriter, with performance experience on stage with Stawell performing arts company SPACI, as well as with the Shake and Groove dance group. She loves exploring different ways to express herself through music, movement and performance, and particularly enjoys writing and creating her own songs.
Anna has introduced the group to a lot of new music including awesome new songs from the K-pop genre.
Away from the stage and studio, Anna loves travelling, discovering new places and experiences, and finding inspiration for her creativity along the way. Her insight, energy and passion for performing make her a much-loved part of DanceConnect.
THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Mat Dooling
Mat Dooling is a Horsham-based photographer and the creative eye behind Exposure of Light Photography. With a strong connection to the Wimmera, Mat’s work is shaped by his eye for light, landscape and the character of the people and places around him. His photography spans landscapes and nature, events, weddings, documentary projects, commercial work and community celebrations.
Mat has also been actively involved in the local photographic community through the Horsham Camera Club, and his work reflects both strong technical skill and a thoughtful, observant approach to visual storytelling.
In 2026, Mat is joining Smart Artz Theatre Inc. as videographer for the DanceConnect project. He will work alongside DanceConnect participants and the creative team to capture the dancers’ work on film, helping translate their choreography, personalities and ideas into a new visual form.
Mat brings patience, curiosity and a genuine appreciation for creative collaboration to the project.