Co3 Contemporary Dance Australia has announced Charmene Yap and Cass Mortimer Eipper as its new Co-Artistic Directors, with the pair set to share the artistic leadership of the Western Australian contemporary dance company from January 2027.
Yap and Mortimer Eipper will relocate with their family to Boorloo/Perth for the roles, returning to Western Australia where both artists’ early careers were shaped before they established their creative partnership on the East Coast.
The appointment follows the 12-year tenure of inaugural Artistic Director Raewyn Hill, whose leadership has helped shape Co3’s reputation for ambitious contemporary dance and strong connections with Western Australian artists and audiences. Hill will remain Artistic Director through December 2026 before taking on the role of Co3 Creative Fellow in 2027, when she will present a new world-premiere work.
Co3 Chair Margrete Helgeby Chaney said Yap and Mortimer Eipper bring significant experience across dance, theatre, opera, film and public-space work, alongside a proven creative partnership.
“Charmene and Cass are two of the most awarded and respected dance artists this country has produced, and both have Western Australia running through their creative DNA”. “Between them they bring three Helpmann Awards, an Australian Dance Award and a West Australian Dance Award, careers spanning our leading dance companies, theatre, opera, film and public-space work – and, critically, a long-standing creative partnership of their own. Theirs is a proven collaboration built on complementary strengths and shared vision, and the Board has every confidence they will take Co3 somewhere thrillingly new as they continue to build on the company’s present strengths and programs.”
Yap is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, rehearsal director and movement director whose work spans contemporary dance, theatre, opera, film and site-responsive projects. A graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, she has worked with Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move, Lucy Guerin Inc, Dancenorth and Tasdance, and has received two Helpmann Awards and an Australian Dance Award. Her choreographic and movement work has included commissions and collaborations with Sydney Dance Company, Sydney Festival, Co3, Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir and Opera Australia.
Mortimer Eipper is an award-winning choreographer and director whose practice encompasses contemporary dance, live performance, film and installation. He began his professional performing career with West Australian Ballet and has since worked with major Australian dance companies including Sydney Dance Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Australian Dance Theatre, Australasian Dance Collective, West Australian Ballet and Queensland Ballet. His international commissions include work for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and Milwaukee Ballet, while his choreography and performance have earned recognition including a West Australian Dance Award and the 2015 Helpmann Award for Best Male Dancer.
The pair have already collaborated as co-creators of Grey Rhino, a large-scale dance-theatre work presented at Sydney Festival in 2022.
As Co-Artistic Directors, Yap and Mortimer Eipper will share responsibility for Co3’s artistic vision, ensemble practice, commissioning and programming. Their different areas of experience will also shape the company’s future, with Yap bringing particular expertise in dancer development, youth and education, and Mortimer Eipper extending Co3’s interdisciplinary work into areas including film and installation.
The incoming Co-Artistic Directors said the appointment represents a return to a place that played an important role in both of their artistic lives.
“This isn’t simply a move west for us – Western Australia shaped us both as artists, so the opportunity to return and lead Co3 together means a great deal. We’re excited to reconnect with the dance community, work alongside dancers and artists across the state, and to build on this company’s foundations with care. We see Co3 as a place where ambitious dance is made, where artists can take risks, and where work born in Western Australia can resonate nationally and internationally.”
Hill welcomed the appointment as Co3 prepares for its next chapter.
“After twelve extraordinary years, I am delighted to see Co3’s next chapter entrusted to two exceptional artists whose creative partnership is founded on collaboration, generosity and a shared vision for what dance can be. Welcoming Charmene and Cass home to Western Australia with their young family feels especially significant, bringing their experience, creativity and deep connection to this place back to the community that first nurtured them. I look forward to seeing Co3 continue to evolve under their shared leadership and wish them every success for the journey ahead.”
Yap and Mortimer Eipper will begin shaping Co3’s artistic direction from 2028, while 2027 will mark the beginning of their shared leadership and their introduction to the Western Australian dance community. Co3’s 2027 program will be announced later this year.
For the latest Co3 news, visit co3.org.au.
