Residencies & workshops
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4 June - 21 August 2025
THE SPACE BETWEEN
This residency marks the second development stage of a new performance work to be presented later this year as part of the Fremantle Biennale. Rooted in embodied practice and rhythmic traditions from the Indian Ocean, the work continues to explore themes of belonging, resilience, and transformation. Through movement, sound, and storytelling, it draws on ancestral memory to navigate the spaces between the seen and unseen — between the self and the collective. This phase of the process deepens earlier explorations, focusing on refining the performance language and further grounding the work’s sensory and emotional landscape.
Dr. Muriel Hillion-Toulcanon is a multidisciplinary artist, artistic director, composer and researcher specialising in Maloya music and dance, and is the founder and lead artist of Salama, a Perth-based Maloya ensemble blending traditional Maloya and Sega with contemporary influences. Originally from Réunion Island, she has dedicated her career to sharing the rich cultural heritage of the Indian Ocean through music, movement, and storytelling.
Hillion-Toulcanon holds a doctorate in Maloya music and dance, making her the first to earn this distinction, and currently teaches at WAAPA as a sessional lecturer in Devising Physical Theatre. Her artistic vision is deeply rooted in community engagement, authenticity, and innovation, making her a leading figure in contemporary Creole performance.
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29 June 2025
MALOYA WORKSHOP
Join the music and dance ensemble Salama, led by Dr Muriel Hillion-Toulcanon, for an immersive Maloya music and dance workshop celebrating the living culture of Réunion Island.
Maloya is more than a music and dance genre - it's an expression of Réunionese Creole culture. Communicating aspects of the island's history of slavery and resistance, Maloya embodies resilience, storytelling and community. It's a tradition that pulses through the Indian Ocean's Creole cultures, carried in rhythm, voice and movement.
This workshop strikes the perfect balance between joyful participation and meaningful learning. You will explore traditional Malagasy and Réunionese Creole songs and learn about the powerful oral traditions passed down through generations. Through call-and-response singing and body percussion, you'll experience the liberating and unifying spirit of Maloya.As a participant, you will also have the chance to play traditional instruments like the roulèr, kayamb and sati/pikèr - the rhythmic foundation of this soulful art form.
Whether you want to sing along, move and dance, clap to the beat or simply listen, you'll experience how music, dance and language are deeply connected in this culture - a joyful, communal celebration. -
12 May - 29 May 2025
OPEN RESIDENCY
Muriel Hillion is a performer and cultural leader who specialises in Maloya, the traditional music and dance of Réunion Island.
A resident of Darlington for the past eight years, Muriel is bringing this joyful, communal art form to the hills for the very first time.
Known for her inclusive, participatory approach to performance, Muriel will collaborate with locals to co-create a community sharing that blends movement, rhythm, and storytelling. Her residency also forms part of the development of Sanctuary Within, a major new work that will premiere at the Fremantle Biennale 2025.
“Maloya was born as a tool of resilience and unity. I’m excited to introduce it to Kalamunda—to invite people in, no matter their background, to connect through shared movement and voice,” Muriel said.
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15 August - 17 December 2022
Muriel was born in Réunion island where she has embodied different rhythms and dance styles from a very young age, and has developed into a natural dancer, specialised in improvisation. Drawing from her skills, she took up the challenge to develop Maloya choreographies, which is originally an improvised art form, and decided to start a Maloya band in Australia and teach dance. Muriel has now completed her Doctoral studies at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) on the subject of Maloya dance and music.
Investigating a range of traditional dance techniques, Muriel’s residency focuses on the development of a dance syllabus for Maloya dance. Researching this originally improvised art form, born out of slavery on Réunion Island in the 17th century, Muriel aims to identify common movements across the practice of the dance to develop a contemporary model of teaching for professional dancers and community members with an interest in Maloya choreography, music and performance.
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30 January 2022
MALOYA WORKSHOP
Join Maloya expert Muriel Hillion Toulcanon alongside musicians (live from Perth) to explore the essence of the 300-year old Réunion Island artform Maloya.
Maloya is a living cultural practice of Réunion cultures including Creole, African Malagasy, Tamil, and Indian influences. Maloya artists are often both dancers and musicians incorporating percussion and sung-vocals. Participants dance as a group but this rarely involves contact or partner work.
The Maloya Studio is an invitation to dancers of any form or discipline to learn more about the history and practice of Maloya and to meet the Maloya Moshpit experts and artists.
Artists Muriel Hillion Toulcanon and Justin Marshall with Punctum are in development for a new work: Maloya Moshpit; a new contemporary participative performance work inviting collective audience participation — connecting and colliding dance, music and song to produce hybrid forms that foster social and cultural resilience.
Punctum welcomes expressions of interest for three collaborating dance artist roles in Maloya Moshpit. Collaborating dance artists in the project are paid Equity rates across 2 part-time developments in 2022, and presentation at Castlemaine State Festival in 2023.
Maloya Moshpit is developed by Punctum in partnership with Dancehouse, the Castlemaine State Festival, and The Substation.