Buddy Malbasias
Buddy Malbasias is a Filipino Australian (Bukidnon-born) independent artist-researcher, director, choreographer and performer. With a rich movement history (from award-winning hip-hop crews, street style to formalised dance education, improvisation, theatre), his practice now exists at the intersection of contemporary performance, waacking and interdisciplinary experimentation.
Rooted in the Filipino diaspora, Buddy’s practice navigates cultural hybridity, queer identity and imaginative world-building to reimagine the immigrant Filipino body in performance. Working across dance, theatre and design, his shapeshifting works blend movement, text, and found objects to create thought-provoking experiences—part self-exploration, part sociocultural reflection. His ongoing inquiry into Kapwa (shared self) invites audiences to engage with notions of belonging, heritage and embodied memory.
A University Medalist (Summa cum laude) and scholarship recipient, Buddy holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance Min.Dance Performance) from QUT. His choreographic work spans live performance (dance theatre, installations) and digital media (dance on film, multimedia), with notable works including Lato2x (Artist-in-Residence, uNCOILEd eXposed), Obserbahi:Observe (Queensland Museum Partnership), erOplanO (Artist-in-Residence, APAC), 610X (Artist-in-Residence, QACI), Z-A (Graduate Project) and Anino (Award-Winning Dance on Film).
Rooted in the Filipino diaspora, Buddy’s practice navigates cultural hybridity, queer identity and imaginative world-building to reimagine the immigrant Filipino body in performance. Working across dance, theatre and design, his shapeshifting works blend movement, text, and found objects to create thought-provoking experiences—part self-exploration, part sociocultural reflection. His ongoing inquiry into Kapwa (shared self) invites audiences to engage with notions of belonging, heritage and embodied memory.
A University Medalist (Summa cum laude) and scholarship recipient, Buddy holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance Min.Dance Performance) from QUT. His choreographic work spans live performance (dance theatre, installations) and digital media (dance on film, multimedia), with notable works including Lato2x (Artist-in-Residence, uNCOILEd eXposed), Obserbahi:Observe (Queensland Museum Partnership), erOplanO (Artist-in-Residence, APAC), 610X (Artist-in-Residence, QACI), Z-A (Graduate Project) and Anino (Award-Winning Dance on Film).
His recent accolades include the Metro Arts Performance Program (QLD), Studio1 x Catapult Dance East-Coast EXCHANGE (QLD/NSW), Backbone Funded Hub Residency (QLD), Studio1 Creative Funded Residency (QLD), Blackbird Foundation Grant (AU/NZ), Festival University Scholarship (EU) Waacking Inferno X Club Concept Performance First Prize (VIC), AFTRS Scholarship (NSW) and Sharp Short Dance on Film Award (AU). In 2022, he was also crowned Australian Waacktournament Brisbane Waacking Champion and national runner-up.
Buddy's artistry has been showcased in esteemed venues like the Queensland Museum and internationally through an immersive residency at Ars Electronica in Austria. Supported by funded national and international residencies, Buddy has become an exciting and dynamic voice in QLD’s artistic landscape having worked with leading global voices such as Studio1, QLD Museum, Stephanie Lake Co., Catapult Dance, Blackbird Foundation and Johannes Kepler University. Through choreographic and embodied methodologies, Buddy crafts performance ecologies that disrupt conventional modes of spectatorship and invite critical reflection to provoke, connect and resonate.
Buddy's artistry has been showcased in esteemed venues like the Queensland Museum and internationally through an immersive residency at Ars Electronica in Austria. Supported by funded national and international residencies, Buddy has become an exciting and dynamic voice in QLD’s artistic landscape having worked with leading global voices such as Studio1, QLD Museum, Stephanie Lake Co., Catapult Dance, Blackbird Foundation and Johannes Kepler University. Through choreographic and embodied methodologies, Buddy crafts performance ecologies that disrupt conventional modes of spectatorship and invite critical reflection to provoke, connect and resonate.
Current Program
We acknowledge the First Nations people as the Traditional Owners of Meanjin (Brisbane).
Australasian Dance Collective acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their deep connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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