Statement
Hamish McIntosh wants to understand what dance is. Deeply invested in the ways that we define dance as a fine art form, Hamish's practice is characterised by existentialism and a desire to interject. Critical of the authoritarian legacy of Western theatrical dance training and choreography, and sharing a love-hate relationship with the banality of contemporary dance, Hamish's work seeks to irritate, question, and experiment with the limits of genre and the human body. Broadly interested in queerness and the contradictions inherent to liberal mass culture, Hamish's work has been described as provocative, challenging, and elegiac. Recently (and in contrast to the vitality often assumed of dance) Hamish has begun to work through his morbid fascination with death: a curiosity shaped by his ongoing experiences with depression.
Biography
Hamish McIntosh, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Education and Arts at Nord University, Norway. Born in Aotearoa New Zealand, Hamish trained in contemporary dance at the New Zealand School of Dance. Completing his PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2023, Hamish’s writing explores arts education, queer theory, and masculinities in dance.
Treating dance as a site for political and philosophical inquiry, Hamish’s research focuses on the experiences of queer-identifying dancers, pedagogy, and how dance can intersect with gender expression and embodiment. His non-traditional research outputs have been presented at international venues including the Gus Fisher Gallery (Auckland), play_station (Wellington), Temperance Hall (Melbourne), and the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne). Hamish has worked as a teacher since 2016 and has shared the studio with dancers from across the lifespan. Passionate about humanising pedagogies, Hamish’s other research interests include practice-based research, art criticism, and suicidality. Maintaining his connection to Australia, he also sits in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne as an honorary fellow.
Education
PhD(Dance), Melb; MDanceStudies (1st Class Hons.), Auck; PGDipDanceStudies (Distinction), Auck; CertDancePerformance (Contemporary Dance), NZSD
C. Hamish McIntosh