Flazéda Hub

HAPPY RESIGNATION DAY!!!

Today marks FOUR years since I left my high-paying, comfortable government job and took the leap into full-time artistry. Since then, I’ve been privileged to accomplish so much, supporting artists, building community-centered projects, and seeing the impact of my work resonate with audiences.

The past 12 months, however, have been especially challenging, as I’ve had to reorganise my life around new health needs and navigate unexpected challenges to my personal and financial autonomy.

While this last year has been a difficult time of recalibration, I am very honoured to follow this path, and am very proud of the achievements I've made over the past 4 years.

Some cute highlights of my time since quitting my job😍

AWARDS
💜Won the Canberra Local Business Awards for Outstanding Performing Arts
💜Won the Canberra Critics Circles ACT Arts Award (for “Exotic Hypnotica”)
💜Won a Green Room Award for Best Ensemble (as part of Future Joy Club, produced by Finucane and Smith)
💜Won the Adelaide Fringe Festival Best Food Weekly Award (as part of Smashed produced by Hey Dowling)
💜Finalist for Canberra Business Woman of the Year
💜Finalist for Lifeline Canberra's Women of Spirit Award
💜Nominated for ACT Woman of the Year
💜Nominated for Best Circus and Physical Theatre at Sydney Fringe (for Decadence and Debauchery)
💜Part of Future Joy Club which won Special Event of the Year from Meetings and Events Australia
⚜️These build on top of my win at the Adelaide Fringe Festival Best Dance Weekly Award (for “Catch Jazida”), which happened earlier in 2020, about 9 months before I formally resigned)⚜️

MONEY STUFF
❤️ In the first 3 years, paid over $200k to contractors (almost all of whom were artists)
❤️Received $46k in grant funding from the City Renewal Authority to deliver the “Jazida Productions Pop Up Parties”
❤️Received $19k in grant funding from Arts ACT for the development of “Exotic Hypnotica”
❤️Received $5k in grant funding from the Office of LGTQIA+ Affairs to deliver a mentorship program as part of Flazeda “performance for purpose
❤️Received $5k in grant funding from the Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs to develop “Rebellion”
❤️Received $5k in grant funding from Michael Sollis as part of the Southern Sky project with the Fabulous Fan Dancers
❤️Supported Rockstars and Royalty in securing $5k grant funding to develop the “Toucana” costume from Michael Sollis
❤️Supported Fairy Bread in securing $5k grant funding to deliver the Rainbow Crafternoons in Haig Park
❤️Supported Cambridge Street Studio in securing $5k grant funding to deliver the Canberra Cryptid Ball
❤️Raised $7k in crowd funding for Flazeda “performance for purpose”
❤️Received a bursary valued at $2300 to attend the “Doing Dramaturgy” course with Lou Cope, sponsored by Ausdance ACT
❤️Received artist in residency support for 2 days at the Gorman Arts Centre
❤️Received artist in residency support for 7 days at Belconnen Arts Centre
⚜️This builds on top of the grant funding of $2k received from the Where You Are Festival for “Decadence and Debauchery - the Distanced Edition” 3 months prior to resigning as well as $5k received from Arts ACT for the Development of “Catch Jazida” a year prior to resigning⚜️

ACHIEVEMENTS
💚Sat and served (and continue to) on the ACT Minister for Arts Creative Council, where I’ve contributed to many enhancement to support arts in Canberra. Most significantly rolling out a Policy and Legislation change that incentives venues to book artists and pay them properly, by giving them a reduction in liquor licensing fees, when they can demonstrate performing arts activations.
💚Opened and ran a 3-year commercial lease with “Flazeda”. Running two studio spaces, a liquor licence, managing 16 teaching/admin staff, and keeping a busy schedule of classes and live performance events.
💚Travelled with the Fabulous Fan Dancers to the US, where they made their international debut
💚Delivered the “Get Down in Lockdown” event series, uplifting artists and pulling community together during pandemic isolation
💚Was listed in the Top 50 most influential burlesque industry figures 3 years in a row
💚Taught the performing arts students at Monash University as part of the JPAIR program with Finucane and Smith
💚Toured internationally to the Philippines and the US. Also toured across Australia to every State/Territory (except Tasmania)
💚Delivered the Australian Burlesque Museum Exhibition in Canberra

QUOTES from people
💛“You have blessed my life more than you will ever let yourself believe”
💛“Just wanted to let you know I came out🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️… You and Flazeda were a really critical step in my journey”
💛 “Your community is making something magic”
💛“Because of her one-of-a-kind leadership and genuine devotion in leaving everyone and every place better than she found them, I have played in places I never thought I would, worked with people I could never have imagined, and been given the best networking opportunities I could ever have asked for.
💛“Flazeda is like a home away from home”
💛”You've created a space that truly allows people to genuinely explore and discover who they are, without fear of judgment”
💛“CBR is better for having you here”
💛“Thank you for creating a space for our beautiful family to grow, travel, and learn”
💛“People like Jazida are so valuable, and the work that she does quite literally changes lives. With just two mentorships Jazida helped me grow from a person living solely off a disability pension to a full time artist, running a successful small
business and using my skills and my art to pay the bills.”
💛“This was a great community event and it had a great vibe to it. It makes me proud to be Canberran”

QUOTES from reviews
🧡“She redefines the nature of strip” - Arts Review
🧡“An artist maturing from a burlesque star to a theatre maker” - BMA Magazine
🧡“Fire-breathing Jazida paid homage to vaudeville and st******se in irrepressible fashion” - In Review
🧡“Jazida’s act not only highlights her technical abilities but also her deep appreciation for the evolution of burlesque” - Adelaide Insider
🧡“Her artistry is mesmerizing and her talents captivating. It is impossible not to be transfixed by her dance and her performance with attitude” - Canberra Critics Circle
🧡“Performed with the kind of professionalism and panache that would be welcomed by any burlesque house in the world” - Arts Review

STATISTICS
💙421 performances
(4 from 12 Nov onward 2020, 64 from 2021, 149 from 2022, 119 from 2023, 85 YTD jan - Nov 2024)
💙128 productions
(3 from 12 Nov onward 2020, 10 from 2021, 23 from 2022, 41 from 2023, 25 YTD jan - Nov 2024, plus 26 productions run at the Flazeda venue)
💙47 workshops that I taught and 29 from guest artists that I facilitated (not counting regular weekly classes)
💙Facilitated 60 events at Flazeda run by external producers
💙Participated in 43 other events (e.g. judging competitions, running photoshoots, studio open days, award ceremonies, market)
💙Facilitated approximately 960 individual artist development classes over 12 terms (approximately 8 classes a week) at Flazeda plus approximately 38 individual classes over 3 terms in Adelaide

ACCESSIBILITY
🖤Delivered two mentorships for artists with a disability funded through Women with Disabilities ACT
🖤Delivered two mentorships to POC artists funded through The People of Cabaret
🖤Delivered over 45 live streaming services at events to support access to shows for people unable to attend in person
🖤Provided Auslan interpretation at over 18 shows to support access for the deaf community
🖤Facilitated mentorship to 7 LGBTQIA+ artists through Performance for Purpose
🖤Facilitated mentorship to 5 vulnerable artists through Performance for Purpose
🖤Delivered 6 live digital events connecting isolated community during lockdown

I feel very lucky to live the life I do. Even though working in the arts full time is extremely difficult, I wouldn't change it for the world.

I am very proud of the things I have done. I am even prouder to reflect on the things I haven't done. The times I have stood by my ethics, turned down opportunities, ceased working with people / going into situations which don't align with my morals are the times in my life that I reflect back on with the most pride in my strength of character. Like Marc Maron says “It’s easy to maintain your integrity, when no one is offering to buy it out”

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” (Helen Keller)… and lawd knows, the only way I've been able to do as much as I have been able to, is because I haven't been alone. I have been so blessed with tremendous community support and love and I am so extremely lucky and thankful.

✨ Here's to the future! ✨