Catherine Magill is a Naarm (Melbourne) based dance artist with thirty years performance experience. Creating in the emerging moment, Catherine interweaves spontaneous, responsive movement and spoken word with set choreography and scripted text. The work is political and poetic, feminist and activist, socially and environmentally aware, addressing issues from the personal to the global. Content ranges from the (in)visibility of women in public space, in particular older women, to the impacts of consumer rubbish on the environment. Currently enrolled in the Master of Arts: Art in Public Space at RMIT, Catherine’s research questions how her theatrical dance practice translates to performative interventions in civic spaces. The work is site responsive, seeking connection beyond site being merely a stage. Recent projects in urban and natural settings encompass solo presentations, cross discipline collaboration and community engagement. Expanding beyond the confines of a theatre, public space allows the work to be viewed and challenged by a more diverse audience. The transience of live performance is further challenged by the fleeting engagement and unknown response of the passer by. The safety of the fourth wall is removed.

In 2022 Catherine was a participating artist in the Creative Hobson Bay Dear Agnes project (Altona, Melbourne) presenting an environmental dance installation. Her Masters research project VOW (Visible Older Woman) launched The Pedestal Project, Testing Grounds Public Art Park program 2023 (Melbourne). Presented again for International Women’s Day 2024, further iterations are scheduled across Melbourne CBD throughout the coming year.

Catherine Magill has extensive performance experience. She has presented work in the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2012 and 2019, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2013, Dancehouse Fringe Season 2012, and numerous independent group and solo shows. International performances include Varia Festival 2018 (Sweden), Atlanta Theatre 2023(Sweden), Vitlycke Theatre 2023 (Sweden), ImproXchange 2014 (Berlin), the Australian Contact Improvisation Festival 2010-2019, Precipice 2012-2023 (annual Australian Improvisation Festival, Canberra) and the NOW Pieces 2014-2021 (Dancehouse Melbourne). Alongside her performance practice, Catherine has taught dance and improvisation in community and tertiary settings.