Established in 1999, Branch Nebula is one of Australia’s most adventurous companies, pushing the boundaries of performance. Working at the nexus between contemporary theatre, dance, sport and street styles they immerse their diverse audiences in the creativity of urban landscapes and vital theatrical experiences. They present their work in a range of environments from skate parks in regional Australia, to theatres in major festivals and contemporary art centres in inner cities, both in Australia and overseas. They value the devalued, spotlight the marginal, and celebrate the clefts in the concrete where the weeds push through.
"What fuels us as artists is going to skate, BMX, and breakdance comps, protest marches, vogue balls, book clubs, crochet circles, punk gigs, bush walks, dance parties, and shopping at the mall." – Lee Wilson & Mirabelle Wouters, Co-Artistic Directors
What is the meaning behind your name Branch Nebula? Did you choose it because a nebula (an enormous cloud of dust and gas in space) is said to act as a nursery for new stars?  
The name is open ended in terms of the meaning and what it evokes for the viewer. The word ‘Nebula’ also has another meaning. The meaning has been both our unique way and our nemesis. To be nebulous is to be fluid, and resists easy categorisation, just how we are as people, yet not fitting easy categories or fitting into boxes has certainly gone against us again and again. Not dancey enough to be dance, too dancey to be theatre, for example.
Your work is multidisciplinary and can include contemporary dance, parkour, skating, BMX biking, and all sorts of stunts. What has inspired this mode of working? 
We recognise and want to share with audiences, and contribute to culture, that art is everywhere and not just the traditional places we are used to seeing. The movements and artistry of a BMX rider may spark off a contemporary dancer and create a compelling moment. Ultimately our concern is the collective experience, the feeling, the coming together to share an energy, not unlike a rave, car race, breaking battle, or punk band. These experiences are multilayered and contain many elements.
Branch Nebula is famous for its extreme physicality, described as ‘combining danger and elegance’, ‘precision and anarchy’. Is this a good description? Why? 
When other people describe the work it’s up to them what words they use. It won’t help for us to judge if they are good or not. If they are a critic then we hope that they are informed and understand the context of the work, history and intention. Having said that I do think that “precision and anarchy“ work as descriptors. There is precision in executing risky manoeuvres and being able to pull them off safely and repeatedly, and there is a sense of anarchy that we intentionally evoke as we reflect on a chaotic world. It’s not the role of art to reduce things to an easy bite to consume. The kind of art we are interested in is challenging, something to chew over and pull apart, or to savour over time.
Why do you often choose both props and locations that are mundane, ordinary and everyday? 
We are interested in the ubiquity of the things we find around; everyday materials that most of us deal with on a day to day basis, are an in. Anyone can relate to sticky tape for example, and then what we do with it and where we take the performance, can lead the audience into a place they’ve not been before. The pay-off is an experience of performance unlike anything you’ve seen before.
One of the things that drives the company is being socially and politically engaged. A recent example was the reading of a pro- Palestinian statement at the beginning of a show which lead to accusations of antisemitism. What does that say to you?
In its proud 26 year history, Branch Nebula has demonstrated a commitment to working with people from culturally diverse backgrounds and racially marginalised communities. Our creative process is underpinned by an attempt to increase the safety and inclusion of people who are often not represented on the stage. It is our firm belief that by platforming artists who are not part of the main-stream is a positive step in the disruption of the status quo.
We maintain that this will result in change for the better to create a world in which difference is valued and rewarded, rather than punished or seen as a threat. 
Our current work, Air Time, features a cast of six incredibly talented and brave artists who have undertaken rehearsals during a time of global crisis. We do not ask our artists to play fictional characters and the strength of our shows is partly due to the unique identity and personality of each contributing performer. One of the cast members of Air Time is Palestinian. He expresses his cultural identity and briefly mentions that the work was made during a time when a genocide is taking place. We have received an overwhelming majority of support for this statement, however, a small amount of complaints has occurred. We prioritise the wellbeing of our cast and the wide circle of our community who are sympathetic to oppressed people everywhere.

Do you believe that performance/art can change people’s hearts and minds?
When people experience a form they’ve not encountered before, they must adapt; they shift the paradigms they are currently working with. When the form is familiar, but the content is different, there is not much adapting required. For example, a play is a familiar form, it is literary based, with actors reciting the text. What they are saying varies but the framework is something we understand. Hence our interest is in new forms and ways of presenting our ideas. As artists we feel compelled to challenge and offer new ways of experiencing performance.
What is your next challenge?
In June, Lee and Mirabelle will be travelling up to Yirrkala, Arnhem Land to meet with lead Indigenous artist Rosealee Pearson-Grimes for a period of community consultation and research, with a focus on setting up a new collaboration for a street style project with the local Indigenous community there. Nhulunbuy on Yolngu country is Lee’s hometown and he’s had a long held dream to develop a project that employs local talent and a platform for the strong cultural energies existing there.
Article by Tamara Winikoff
Tamara Winikoff is an independent consultant with extensive experience in arts advocacy, policy, and cultural leadership. She was a a founding member of the Inner West Creative Network and served as Executive Director of the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) for 22 years, championing artists’ rights and sector development. As Co-convenor of ArtsPeak, she coordinated national arts policy initiatives. Previously, she managed the Community, Environment, Art and Design (CEAD) program at the Australia Council for the Arts and lectured in Cultural Environment and Heritage at Macquarie University. Based in Sydney, she continues to influence the cultural landscape through strategic consultancy.