First Fridays - Industry Survival Skills for Dance Artists

First Fridays Presents

INDUSTRY SURVIVAL SKILLS FOR DANCE ARTISTS

Sunday 29 November 10am-1:30pm

Online

This event is FREE with funding support from Creative Australia.

Join us for 3 hours of POWER to support your career in the dance industry. Each hour will cover important topics including

• Business 101 & how to harness your creative community to get initiatives off the ground with Carl Sciberras

• Grant Writing & planning for success with Cat Dibley

• Advocacy and how to have important conversations with people in power with Joshua Lowe

Each session will be facilitated by Gabby Rose FLING Executive Director and Beth Lane FLING Creative Director. Running for 1 hour each with 10 minute breaks, these conversations will give you opportunities to hear from leading artists in the industry and ask those burning questions.

By demystifying the practical steps into creative careers, First Fridays builds community, addresses gaps in knowledge, and strengthens the capacity of independent artists, fostering a more connected and stable sector.

Following this POWER session we want to stay connected with Monthly Morning Online Catch Ups with YOU - on the First Friday of each month. 💬 ☕️ 💬

Meet the artist - Carl Sciberras

Chatting about Business 101 and building Dance Makers Collective

Carl Sciberras (he/him) is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, business advisor and producer from Western Sydney. Carl has a Master of Fine Arts (Cultural Leadership) from NIDA, a Bachelor of Arts (Dance) from WAAPA and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications (Writing and Cultural Studies) from UTS. Carl is the General Manager and a Co-Founder of Dance Makers Collective, Australia’s largest and leading Collective-led dance company, and worked as a Creative Industries Special Business Advisor with Creative Plus Business until 2025.

Carl co-authored the Independent Dance Sector Report (2024) and was commissioned by Meanjin to write The Year in Dance, published in its 2025 Winter edition. Carl is an alumni of Creative Australia’s leadership programs including the Collaboration Fund (2024), Australian Progress (2023) and the Future Leaders Program (2017). In 2016, Carl was awarded the City of Parramatta’s Creative Fellowship and in 2018 was presented a Highly Commended Award by the City of Parramatta’s Australia Day Awards Committee for his contribution to the arts in the region. Carl also co-founded Flatline, a visual art and dance collaboration that creates performance, installation and art works that have been presented internationally.

As an artist, Carl’s work has been described as “beautifully cathartic” and his performance style “fluid and princely, rippling and sculptural.” Carl’s works have appeared at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, Metro Arts, Riverside Theatres, First Draft, Art Est, The National Centre for Drawing, BEAMS Festival, White Night Melbourne, Home Brew Festival, and Sydney Fringe Festival. 

Carl was the Interim Managing Director of PYT Fairfield in 2021. From 2012-2015, Carl worked as the Marketing, Program and Education Coordinator at FORM Dance Projects. Carl also worked as a Project and Engagement Coordinator at Create NSW (2020) and as Venue and Administration Manager for Legs On The Wall (2018).  

Meet the artist - Cat Dibley

Chatting all things Grant Writing & Success

Cat Dibley knows the creative sector from the inside out. Over 15 years she's produced dance, theatre, tours, and festivals for major companies across Australia, Europe, and the US, founded her own theatre company in 2011, and secured over $3.6 million through grants and partnerships. She's a regular contributor to ArtsHub, assessed grants for bodies including Create NSW, and produced everything from mainstage seasons to large-scale national tours. Cat now works as a creative business coach, arts strategist, and grant specialist, helping creative professionals build sustainable practices, navigate career transitions, develop partnership strategies, and get funded. Find out more at catdibley.com.

Meet the artist - Joshua Lowe

Chatting Advocacy and how to have Important Conversations with People in Power.

Joshua Lowe (he/him) is a Melbourne-based creative leader with 18 years’ experience across dance and the performing arts. 

He is the former Co-CEO of Theatre Network Australia, leading national advocacy and sector development for independent artists and companies.

From 2007–2020, Joshua was the founding CEO and Artistic Director of DRILL, a nationally recognised youth dance organisation.

He is a VCA dance graduate and holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School.