ABOUT
“Harrison’s movement vocabulary is absolutely captivating, from start to finish, the beauty in the intricate detail, and full embodiment of theme. There are moments when it is not just theme that comes through but a perfect sense of being in the moment, drawing the audience in, something quite rare and at an uncommon level in Harrison.”
“Harrison is a wonderful choreographer, mover, creative thinker and director. She has a wonderful sense of what she is about, and what her work needs to speak to. Harrison creates consistently captivating work, and is a rising star of independent dance art, her gentle but fierce soul shining through in all she does, making it a delight to be an observer of her work. Keep an eye out and do not miss the next instalment.”
- Dance Informa
Image by Emma Fishwick
Emma is a dance and theatre performer, maker, choreographer, movement director,
and educator living and working in Warrane, Sydney, Australia. Her practice is rooted in
contemporary dance and theatre, blending humour with highly physical movement,
and is shaped by her nomadic youth across regional Queensland, ACT, WA and New
South Wales. Drawing from her working-class and regional upbringing, Emma uses
dance to explore the systems that shape us, questioning and reimagining the
ways we move through the world. Emma seeks to challenge dominant narratives, and
create work that is seriously unserious and resonates with both personal and collective experiences.
As a queer woman living with chornic illness, she is interested in whose bodies, experiences and perspectives are represented on Sydney stages. These experiences shape the questions of gender, power, and access, that run through her choreography, and the kinds of stories she wants contemporary dance to hold.
Emma works independently and collaborates with choreographers and directors across Australia and is part of the Artistic Directorate of Dance Makers Collective.
As a choreographer, Emma was commissioned by Campbelltown Arts Centre to create 'High Octane', her first full-length ensemble work, 2025, brought back for a sold-out season for Sydney Dance Company’s INDance 2026. She created ‘Top Dog’ on 23 young people for Sydney Dance Company Pre-professional year, premierering at Carriageworks. In 2024 her dance theatre solo work ‘Wolverine’ was commissioned by Sydney Festival 2024 (festival dir. Olivia Ansell) at the Walsh Bay Arts precint and she choreographed and performed in ‘Arlington’ by playwright Enda Walsh, directed by Anna Houston at the Seymour Centre.
Emma’s other choreographic works have been presented by Dance Makers Collective Big Dance 2.0, March Dance Festival at Brand X, Art Month Sydney at Firstdraft gallery, Ausdance, Bondi Festival, Crack X Festival, Strut Dance WA, Sydney Fringe Festival, and DirtyFeet Out of the Studio. In 2025 Emma was an ATLAS scholar at Impulstanz Festival in Vienna, Austria, mentored by Christopher Matthews.
Performance highlights include Marrugeku’s ‘Cut the Sky’ (dir. Rachael Swain, choreographed by Dalisa Pigram & Serge Aimé Coulibaly), ‘The Lost Boys’ (Little Eggs Collective, dir. Craig Baldwin & Eliza Scott), ‘All in’ , ‘The Rivoli’ & ‘DADS’ (Dance Makers Collective, dir. Miranda Wheen for Sydney Festival 2020, 2025 and National touring) “Cue Lab’ (choreographer Emma Riches) and Tra Mi Dinh’s ‘(UP)HOLDING’.
Emma was the inaugural recipient of the DMC RAPPORT international artist residency in 2022, traveling to South East Dance UK, with sound designer Amy Flannery (Wiradjuri) to develop 'Wolverine'.
Emma has been supported through residencies with March Dance Festival, DirtyFeet, AUSDANCE, Tantrum Youth Arts, and Strut Dance WA. Her projects have been supported by Create NSW and Inner West Council.
Emma has extensive experience leading masterclasses and workshops for professional artists, students, and communities.
Emma regularly lectures and teaches in tertiary institutions and schools across NSW.
As a queer woman living with chornic illness, she is interested in whose bodies, experiences and perspectives are represented on Sydney stages. These experiences shape the questions of gender, power, and access, that run through her choreography, and the kinds of stories she wants contemporary dance to hold.
Emma works independently and collaborates with choreographers and directors across Australia and is part of the Artistic Directorate of Dance Makers Collective.
As a choreographer, Emma was commissioned by Campbelltown Arts Centre to create 'High Octane', her first full-length ensemble work, 2025, brought back for a sold-out season for Sydney Dance Company’s INDance 2026. She created ‘Top Dog’ on 23 young people for Sydney Dance Company Pre-professional year, premierering at Carriageworks. In 2024 her dance theatre solo work ‘Wolverine’ was commissioned by Sydney Festival 2024 (festival dir. Olivia Ansell) at the Walsh Bay Arts precint and she choreographed and performed in ‘Arlington’ by playwright Enda Walsh, directed by Anna Houston at the Seymour Centre.
Emma’s other choreographic works have been presented by Dance Makers Collective Big Dance 2.0, March Dance Festival at Brand X, Art Month Sydney at Firstdraft gallery, Ausdance, Bondi Festival, Crack X Festival, Strut Dance WA, Sydney Fringe Festival, and DirtyFeet Out of the Studio. In 2025 Emma was an ATLAS scholar at Impulstanz Festival in Vienna, Austria, mentored by Christopher Matthews.
Performance highlights include Marrugeku’s ‘Cut the Sky’ (dir. Rachael Swain, choreographed by Dalisa Pigram & Serge Aimé Coulibaly), ‘The Lost Boys’ (Little Eggs Collective, dir. Craig Baldwin & Eliza Scott), ‘All in’ , ‘The Rivoli’ & ‘DADS’ (Dance Makers Collective, dir. Miranda Wheen for Sydney Festival 2020, 2025 and National touring) “Cue Lab’ (choreographer Emma Riches) and Tra Mi Dinh’s ‘(UP)HOLDING’.
Emma was the inaugural recipient of the DMC RAPPORT international artist residency in 2022, traveling to South East Dance UK, with sound designer Amy Flannery (Wiradjuri) to develop 'Wolverine'.
Emma has been supported through residencies with March Dance Festival, DirtyFeet, AUSDANCE, Tantrum Youth Arts, and Strut Dance WA. Her projects have been supported by Create NSW and Inner West Council.
Emma has extensive experience leading masterclasses and workshops for professional artists, students, and communities.
Emma regularly lectures and teaches in tertiary institutions and schools across NSW.